Forgotten Heart
by babyxbxgurl
Summary: There was a time where he was her world. She would do anything for him. But sometimes, world's crumble, just like hers did all those years ago. Now he's trying to put the puzzle back together, to renew what they once had. Puzzles are hard work, the more pieces there are, the harder it becomes. Sometimes, we have to face facts that not all puzzles are solvable. Jeff/OC
1. One

A/N: Hello everyone! Man, it's been a long time since I've been on this site, longer time since I've posted anything. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my other stories, I will update them. I've decided to give you all a new story. It's an idea that came into my head not too long ago and I've been writing for it since three weeks ago, somewhere around that time frame. Things have been crazy, I started university, switching from a community college so my schedule has been much more hectic, but I'm trying to write still, stress reliever.

Anyways, this is my first Jeff Hardy story. First guy I ever liked in wrestling so I decided to give it a shot. As a heads up, this is AU to some extent. His drug habits, suspensions and arrest are still there. The timeline is set at the year 2012. Just wanted to make it clear for everyone.

I hope you guys will like the story, extremely nervous on posting this, but I hope you like it. Just would like to thank my friends who helped me with this story. You guys know who you are, I just want to hank you for putting up with me even though I can get repetitive and annoying.

Love you all! Enjoy!

* * *

One

Jeff walked out of his home, making the trek to Matt's house. His older brother had called him, insisting that he came to his abode this instant. Jeff didn't mind, it wasn't like he was busy. It was their first day back from being on the road. They were back on the road in a couple of days, but at least they were finally home.

He considered himself lucky.

He was thirty-five years old, thankfully he still had his career intact. There had been numerous of slip-ups in the last ten years. He lost his job in WWE and TNA, but now, he was back with TNA and he can honestly say it was going great. The mistakes he made in the past were still present to some extent, but thankfully, they weren't holding it against him.

Work was great, his personal life was alright.

Jeff never wanted to settle down, marriage was a myth of some sorts to him. Sure, at one point he wanted to get married, he found the right woman, but it was like she vanished in thin air. The last time he saw her was the day they broke up after she found out of his misdeeds on the road. He couldn't blame her. She handed him her engagement ring and walked away. Her last words always haunted him.

"I stayed with you for six years, just to learn that when you're on the road, your dick was always wet. Then you changed, you got clean and you asked me to marry you. I thought that I finally won against all these girls. One night stands were okay, at least I convinced myself they were okay. But to learn that you actually had a relationship with another woman, it snapped me out of my trance. I didn't win, I was always sharing you. Guess the joke was on me, right?"

He would never forget how devastated she looked, how angry, and how disappointed. The crazy thing was, she never yelled. Whenever she caught him high, drinking to oblivion, or even cheating, she never yelled. It was like she just took it in and wanted to be there for him. Some may call her stupid, but all she wanted to do was help him.

They were best friends before they were lovers. He went through women like they were candy on Halloween. Sure, he had his serious relationships, but they never lasted. Being tied down wasn't his thing, till confessions were made between him and his Emmy.

Emerson Leon was a family friend, she had met the two Hardy's through her older brother and sister, Stephen and Vanessa. Her older brother was a friend of Matt and through that she met Jeff who was six years older than her. But they got along since Jeff was a pretty nice guy and he wouldn't dare upset Stephen's baby sister.

Eventually, when Emerson was eighteen, things changed between her and Jeff. They went from acquaintances to best friends. No one's really sure how it all changed, but it did. Then when she turned twenty, Jeff was her boyfriend after a drunken confession from Emerson. Jeff had feelings for Emerson as well, so the two ended up dating. It was a good until they hit a snag down the road. The drugs definitely didn't help and it made matters worst.

Emerson knew every single incident, but she remained mum, not wanting to aggravate him because of his addiction. The last thing she wanted was for them to argue and for him to turn to drugs. So, instead of confronting him, she just turned the other way and just continued to support him. Stupidly enough, Jeff was still her best friend and even though they were together, her main concern was his well-being instead of hers.

Until she hit her breaking point.

The one-night stands were bearable. But once she found out that Jeff had an actual girlfriend on the road, she couldn't take it. The next time they were close enough to North Carolina, she confronted him and their relationship ended.

He was supposed to see her again, to talk to her. He had phoned her when he reached a breaking point and just felt like he couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But she never came.

Two years has passed and he tried looking for her, but every lead was a dead end. Her family was no help, they told him she was fine and that was that.

It was like she disappeared out of thin air. She lived in the same town as him, but he never saw her, no matter how hard he tried to make their paths cross.

Jeff sighed, hating it when he reminisced about Emerson. She was the only person who held him together. She helped him get his life back together after getting suspended in WWE for violating the wellness policy. They had a sincere talk and Jeff committed himself to her again, that he was solely hers. The drugs were finally flushed out, that's what he told her. He insisted that he didn't need rehab and she believed him, she trusted him. After the suspension he just felt he disappointed so many people and to top it off, he just felt like he had to repay everyone for the trust they put forth in him. He had to repay Emerson for all the shit he put her through. Seeing how close he was to losing everything, it waked him up. He couldn't lose her, she was it for him. Not because she stood by all the cheating and the drugs, he just realized that he couldn't see his life without Emerson and that scared him before the busy, but it was different.

Granted, that time in their relationship ended, he was completely and utterly faithful to Emerson.

But she found out about a relationship he had with one of the Divas. Emerson went to the house show and met him at his locker. He remembered that day so clearly.

* * *

 _Jeff opened the door, walking hand in hand with Emerson. He didn't understand why she drove all the way to Virginia just to see him. He had seen Vanessa with her, but as soon as Jeff came into sight, Vanessa told her sister that she would wait for her in the car. It was peculiar since Jeff and Vanessa got along well and she didn't even greet him._

 _"What's up baby, everything okay?" Jeff questioned, as they sat down on the couch he had in the locker room._

 _Emerson nodded, looking around the room. "Where's Matt?"_

 _"He's in catering with Shannon." Jeff replied. "You okay? You seem tired, have you slept?"_

 _"Yeah, I'm good," she gave him a small smile. "I just wanted to talk to you."_

 _Jeff became nervous. He had this feeling in the pit of his stomach and it wasn't one of those good ones. Something was changing and he wasn't sure just what it was going to be._

 _"What's going on," he held her hand, waiting for her to speak._

 _"Did you have a relationship with Candice?"_

 _Jeff felt his stomach drop. There it was. There was the change. He was holding her hand, but he felt Emerson slipping away._

 _"What? No, why would you ask that?" He was stupid. He's not sure why he's denying it, but they've been doing so well. His past infidelities were forgiven. They were going to get married, to start a life together. This wasn't happening._

 _"Jeff, please don't lie," her voice was so soft and sounded so tired. She had enough. That was apparent. He knew at one point he would push her to the edge. He was hardly the ideal boyfriend and he's not even sure why she stayed. At some point, he was cheating and didn't even feel bad, why? Because Emerson would always stay, she loved him far too much to leave him. And he took advantage of that._

 _"Baby, it wasn't a relationship," he sounded like an ass. He could attest to that. "It was a mere fling."_

 _Emerson took her hand away from his grasp. "God, I'm so stupid."_

 _"No, Emmy, baby, you're not, this has nothing to do with you, this is all on me."_

 _"No, no, this is on me," the tears begun to well up in her eyes. She took a deep breath and gave him the saddest smile he had seen. "I just took all this in because I had you. For some reason, I comforted myself that as long as you came home to me, we were okay. Shit, I even enabled your drug use because I didn't want you hurting."_

 _Jeff stood up, but Emerson held up her hand. "Please, don't." She pleaded, breaking Jeff's heart. "I always loved you more. I always wanted this relationship to work more than you did. I was always more present in this relationship than you." The tears begun to fall from her eyes as she spoke, "I shouldn't have stayed, but every time I tried to walk away, you would come back and tell me how much you loved me and I stayed. I became that girl."_

 _"What girl?"_

 _"The typical girl who dated wrestlers, who knew that their man was most likely dipping their dicks in some other girl and they still stayed." She slightly laughed. "I always promised myself that I wouldn't let anyone do this to me, that the deal breaker would be cheating. But you're Jeff. You're the person I've wanted since I understood what it meant liking a boy."_

 _Jeff took a step towards her and she shook her head, taking a step back. He knew what was going to happen. He pushed and pushed and she finally broke. How could he be so stupid? How could he hurt this woman as much as he did? He loves her and even if his past actions didn't seem to show it, he did._

 _She wiped her tears, trying her best to stay composed, to get to the point she came to deliver. "It really sucks to learn a harsh lesson this way. Just because I love you and made sacrifices for you, doesn't mean you can do the same. Was I not enough? I tried to be the best girlfriend I can be and yet, I was always lacking." Emerson ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm a strong person, Jeff. I would like to think that I really tried to make our relationship work, but I can't do this anymore."_

 _"Wait, come on Emerson, we can work on this. You know it's only you now, I'm not cheating on you and I never will again." Jeff ignored her plea of space and placed his hand on either of her cheeks, making her look at him. He saw it then. The hurt, the anger, the disappointment in her eyes and he almost dropped his hands. How could he hurt the woman he loves so much? There was no excuse for his actions. "It's you and me against the world, Emmy, don't walk away from me, please. I love you, so much."_

 _Emerson moved out of his grasp, moving closer to the door._

 _"No, I'm not falling for that again. We're good now, but what happens when it gets too much for you again?" Emerson crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm tired and I give up. I don't want to hold you back and have you miss out on anything." She uncrossed her arms and she removed the ring that has been on her finger since he proposed, rarely ever taking it off._

 _"Emmy, please, don't do this. I've changed, things are different now."_

 _"It's not about now, it's about what you did." Emerson bit her lip to prevent a sob from escaping her lips. She took a deep breath and handed him the ring, closing his fingers around it. "I love you Jeff, but I think it's time that I take care of me. You were my world and I was never yours. You're free, Jeff, you can do whatever you want."_

 _That's when he felt it, the tears coming down his face. He couldn't bare this, he couldn't have Emerson walk away from him. She was the best thing to ever happen to him._

 _"No, Emmy, please," he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. "Don't do this, we can work on this, I'll do anything, just please don't leave me."_

 _She shook her head, pushing away from him. "Please Jeff, I'm done, let me go." Wiping her tears again, she sighed. "I always thought that I won, you always chose to stay with me and you came back to me. I think you love me as well, but I always thought that I got the last laugh because these girls never had another shot with you."_

 _She placed her hand on the doorknob and faced him. "I stayed with you for six years, just to learn that when you're on the road and your dick was always wet. Then you changed, you got clean and you asked me to marry you. I thought that I finally won against all these girls. One-night stands were okay, at least I convinced myself they were okay. But to learn that you actually had a relationship with another woman, it snapped me out of my trance. I didn't win, I was always sharing you. Guess the joke was on me, right?"_

* * *

Emerson walked out of his locker room and he never saw her again. Vanessa picked up her stuff and when he questioned her as to why Emerson didn't come to see him, she just merely shrugged and walked out. But he understood. He did enough damage that she didn't want to face him again.

A month after their break-up, Jeff was arrested after a drug bust. When he was let go by the police, everything came crashing down. He was trying to heal from his injuries and get back to wrestling and now, he was arrested over drugs that he fell back on when Emerson left. It was horrible of him to go back, especially after all the hard work, but he wanted to heal much quicker, to make the pain go away. So he went back to using, but it all changed after the drug bust.

He got drunk and called Emerson numerous of times. He was angry at first, cursing at her for leaving him, but then the tone quickly changed. He realized just how much he put Emerson through and he tried calling the house number he memorized when he used to call Emerson at the house she shared with her siblings. Thankfully, Emerson was the one who answered.

* * *

 _"Hello," she answered._

 _"Emmy," he whispered. "Emmy, how are you?" His voice became slightly stronger._

 _"Jeff?" She questioned._

 _"Yes, it's me baby, how are you?"_

 _"Oh my god, did you just get out of jail? I saw the news and Matt called me, are you okay?" Hearing the worry in her voice made him smile, she still loved him._

 _"I'm good, just drowning my sorrows."_

 _"Jeff, put the bottle down, okay? You don't have to get drunk, you shouldn't even be touching that stuff. You just got out of jail!" She scolded._

 _"I miss you."_

 _Emerson remained silent, closing her eyes, not wanting to fall for Jeff's words. She wanted to help him, to go over and talk to him, but she couldn't be that anymore. She couldn't be his crutch. He had to do this on his own, he has to want to change._

 _"Emmy, I really miss you, I'm so sorry."_

 _Tears fell down from Emerson's eyes. "Jeff, why did you use again? I thought you were off them? That you were going to get better."_

 _"I'm just hurting too much," he confessed. "How are you?"_

 _"What hurts?" She ignored his question, not wanting to give Jeff the feel of being a part of her life. She wasn't even sure why she hasn't hung up, but she did text Matt to go over and see Jeff._

 _"My leg, my neck, my back," Jeff chuckled. "Everything hurts, but you want to know what hurts the most?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"My heart."_

 _"Jeff, please don't do this."_

 _"Emerson, baby, I need you, please come home."_

 _"You know I can't do that, you're going to be fine Jeff, you're going to make it through this."_

 _"I can't do it without you."_

 _Emerson let out a sob, covering her mouth to prevent her siblings from hearing her._

 _"Emmy, don't cry," Jeff was crying as well. This was too much. He shouldn't have called her. Movies and people who say that calling the one you love just to hear their voice would make you feel better was fucking lying. He felt worst. The pain just increased tenfold. But he didn't want to get a pill and make it go away, he just wanted to have Emerson in his arms._

 _"I miss you Jeff, I'm hurting too, but we can't keep doing this, I don't think anything will change." Emerson said once her sobs subsided. "You were clean and now you fell off the bandwagon, I don't know how much more I can take. I love you and I'm so afraid to see you die."_

 _Jeff didn't want to die. He wanted to live his life and fulfill his dreams. More importantly, he wanted to live a life with Emerson._

 _"Come home, please, I need you, I'm just feeling so shitty right now." Jeff took another swig out of the bottle. "You can leave again tomorrow, but I just really need this, please Emerson."_

 _She sighed. "Okay, we need to talk anyway, I'll be there in thirty minutes."_

* * *

And that was the last time he spoke to her. She never came, but Matt did. He was angry at her for some time, that she abandoned him at his time of need. But then again, she was there for everything else, she might have just been tired. He couldn't blame her.

Jeff looked up and noticed he was nearing Matt's home. He opened the front door, knowing it would be unlocked since Matt had been expecting him. Walking in his brother's home, he called out for him and followed his voice to the living room at the back of the house.

"What's up? Did something happen?" Jeff questioned.

He found Matt sitting down on his couch with the television on.

"Have you spoken to Shannon today?"

"No, I just got back from the gym, what's going on?" Jeff could see the nervousness in his brother's face mixed with worry.

"I found her, Jeff." Matt replied, knowing fully well Jeff would understand.

"What?" Jeff looked around. "Is she here? Did she come to see you?"

Matt shook his head. "No, idiot, I didn't see her, at least not yet. Stephen called Shannon and made an appointment for his sister to get a tattoo." Jeff processed Matt's word, not believing that she was in town, that she was here. "Before you ask, Shannon wanted me to tell you. He said he would text me once she was there so that we could come and say hello."

"Does he know what time she's coming?"

"Shannon said at three."

Jeff looked at the clock on the television display and saw it was twelve in the afternoon. His stomach was in knots. He wasn't sure how to process the information. What should he do? Should he buy her some flowers? Should he even go and see her? She might not want to see him.

"Jeff, Shannon asked that you don't overwhelm her, make it seem like it was a coincidence that we came in. Stephen specifically asked for us not to be there." Matt told him.

Stephen and Jeff were civil, at best. Emerson's overprotective brother hated Jeff and rightfully so in Jeff's perspective. He never tried to make Stephen like him, at one point he did, when he was sober, but once the drugs touched his system, Stephen highly disapproved of Jeff. But he never tried to break them up. He wasn't sure how much Stephen knew about their relationship, but he was shocked that the eldest Leon, the only boy in the family, hadn't killed him.

"Why? Does she not want to see us?"

"I don't know, I can't answer that, but you know Stephen, things changed between all of us." Matt sighed. "You should go shower, we'll go get some breakfast then head to Shannon's."

Jeff nodded his head. He was excited, but the nerves seeped in as well. He was finally going to see his Emmy. He was going to apologize and hopefully, she'll let him be a part of her life again. This last three years have been hell. Sure, he kept up the appearance, he didn't relapse, but he wasn't going to lie, it was so easy to do so. He was hurting and he knew how to make it go away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. She would see her face and couldn't do it again, he wasn't going to sacrifice everything he worked for again.

He was going to show her that he's changed, that he was a better man. That he was a man who finally deserved her.

* * *

Shannon watched as Stephen, Emerson and a guy, who looked awfully familiar to Shannon, walked in his shop. It's been three years since he last saw Emerson and she just became more beautiful. She still had the same long dark brown hair that just rested below her shoulders. Her green eyes still shined brightly. The smile on her lips was still welcoming, showing her dimples. He always thought that Jeff had it all. His career was popping off and he had an amazing girl. Emerson was beautiful, but there was so much more than beauty with her. She was fairly intelligent and her personality was what won all of them over. Watching Jeff with all the girls he slept with on the road, he was greatly disappointed, Jeff had an amazing girlfriend waiting at home and he still cheated on her. It was sickening. But he gave up trying to tell Jeff how to live his life.

"Shannon," Stephen greeted giving him a hug. "How are you doing man?"

"Good, business is going well, how are you?" Shannon turned to Emerson and smiled. "Emmy, it's been far too long."

Emerson smiled at him. "It has been far too long, how are you, Shannon?"

"Don't go shy on me now little girl," Shannon opened his arms. "You know better than that."

She laughed before walking into Shannon's embrace.

Pulling away from Shannon, she looked back at her companion and smiled. He returned her smile and walked over to her. "This is my friend, Chace Crawford."

"Nice to meet you," Chace stuck out his hand.

It clicked for Shannon then, this guy was from one of those shows on television. He remembered watching it with Emerson before when he would hang out with her at the house she used to share with Jeff.

He wasn't exactly sure where Jeff's mindset was regarding Emerson. Sure, Emerson was the love of Jeff's life, but after all the damage Jeff caused in that relationship, he wasn't sure they could even rebuild.

"Nice to meet you, Gossip Girl, right?"

Chace chuckled and nodded. "That's me."

"Why won't you two come back later? I'll text you when I'm done." Stephen told the two.

"Alright, it was nice seeing you again, Shannon." Emerson smiled. "I have to unpack and decorate, so I hope we can catch up soon."

"Don't worry, I understand," Shannon returned her smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Shannon." Chace bid his farewell as well.

"Right back at ya," Shannon replied watching as the two walked out of the store. He turned to Stephen and shook his head. "You're a fucked up human being."

"Am I?" Stephen scoffed. "And why am I an indecent human being?"

"Jeff was going crazy looking for her and you couldn't even let him know where she was?" Shannon shook his head. "I know Jeff fucked up on her, but Jesus Christ, he deserved to at least know. I'm surprised you even got Emerson to come back here, after everything that happened."

"Don't worry about my sister and Hardy, they're old news." Stephen followed Shannon inside the store, leading him to his area in the back. "So are they on their way here?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb, Shannon."

Shannon sighed. "Look, Jeff's my best friend, I couldn't leave him out in the dark."

"You're loyal, Shannon, I can't fault you for that." Stephen sat down on the chair, leaning back. "I wanted you to just retouch my tattoos, it's slightly fading and just need a bit of retouching."

"Not a problem," Shannon prepared his things as Stephen relaxed, waiting for him to finish. "Unpack, is she moving back here?"

"Yeah," Stephen sighed. "She's been itching to move back, so I'm helping her settle in and all that good stuff. Moving is definitely not my favorite part about having a new home."

"Woah, wait, she's moving back?" Shannon shook his head. "Jeff is going to blow."

"Jeff has no reason to do so. They've been done for almost three years, I'm sure Hardy has moved on to another woman, wasn't very hard for him to find girls back then, surely he has a girlfriend." Stephen didn't want to think about Jeff and Emerson getting back together. It just wasn't an ideal situation.

"He hasn't, he's been waiting for Emerson." Shannon sat down on his chair, rolling over to Stephen who had his arm out. "You just want me to retouch your forearm?"

"Yeah, I would have you do my upper arm, but I'm planning to get a tattoo on my shoulder blade, so we'll leave it for now." Stephen shook his head. "Why would he wait for Emerson? He treated my sister like shit, he doesn't even deserve any time from my sister."

Shannon couldn't argue. He decided to remain silent and just work on Stephen's tattoos.

"You're not moving back?" Shannon questioned, breaking the silence after ten minutes.

"Ain't my home anymore," Stephen answered.

Shannon nodded. Before he could open his mouth, he heard his name being called. He looked up and the two Hardy's walked in. Stephen rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. The last thing he wanted was to see Jeff. Matt he could deal with, but Jeff, there was just nothing to say there.

"Stephen, you fucking bastard, where have you been hiding?" Matt questioned as he came closer.

Stephen laughed. "Here and there, how you doing Matthew?"

"I'm good, just relaxing, we have some time off." Matthew shrugged. "TNA has a better schedule than WWE."

"That's good," Stephen's eyes landed on Jeff. "Jeffrey."

"Stephen." Jeff nodded his head.

"She isn't here," Stephen told the two.

"Who isn't here?" Matt feigned innocence.

"Don't play that," Stephen chuckled. "I told Shannon that she was getting a tattoo because I knew you two would come by. I wanted to talk to you both."

"What's going on?" Matt stood beside Jeff, crossing his arms over his chest.

"My baby sister is moving back here, I wanted to make sure that we're clear about something," Stephen paused, checking Shannon's work before his eyes traveled to the two brothers. "I want Jeffrey to stay away from my sister, the last thing she needs is his ass coming around."

"You're out of your fucking mind, I've been looking for your sister for years, like hell I'm going to stay away." Jeff's temper flared. He understood Stephen's concern, but he never tried to run his sister's life then, he shouldn't try now.

"I don't give a shit what you were put through looking for my sister, I think she went through far more bullshit than you ever did." Stephen's temper was beginning to rise as well. "It's a simple request, you should at least give her this. You did say you would let her go."

"Biggest mistake of my life," Matt placed a hand on Jeff's chest, making sure he's younger brother didn't attack Stephen.

They were thankful that the shop was currently empty. The last thing they needed was unwanted gossip.

"You know we can't stay away from your sister, who's going to look out for her? Don't you live in New Orleans nowadays?" Matt questioned.

"I do, but you don't have to worry about my sister," Shannon could see the smirk forming on Stephen's lips.

"Matt's got a point, we can look out for her, like old times." Shannon offered.

"You don't need to," Stephen said. "My sister's boyfriend is moving in with her, you don't have to worry about her."

Jeff wasn't sure what he was feeling. Was it a stab that he was feeling? Or falling through a table from fifteen feet in the air? Whatever it was, he was hurting. Emerson couldn't have a boyfriend. It didn't make sense. He's seen Emerson with guys before, it was the years before they dated. When she turned eighteen, she finally started dating and it wasn't so bad, till he realized he had feelings for Emerson. His requirements for her boyfriend were impossible standards to meet. They all thought it was adorable that Jeff was so overprotective over Emerson, till it changed and it was because he had feelings for her.

But she was a kid then, it was different now. Emerson was twenty-eight years old. Whoever her boyfriend was, this could be it for her. Moving in together is a serious feat and Jeff wasn't sure where to place himself. Alright, maybe he did, he was furious. How dare she move on when he was still trying to pick up the pieces.

Before Jeff could say anything, Matt dragged him to Shannon's office. Once they were inside, Matt blocked the door and waited for Jeff to explode.

"How the fuck can she get another boyfriend?" He flared.

"Hey, don't do this, you had to know that this was possible," Matt shook his head. "She wasn't going to wait for you, she walked away and for good reasons."

"You're my brother," he reminded him.

"I know that Jeff, but you pushed and pushed. She finally broke away and it's been three years, maybe there's a reason why you haven't been able to see her." Matt sighed, not wanting to hurt his brother any further. "You can't blame her for this, she's not purposely trying to hurt you. Her brother was the one who told you about her relationship, not her. She might not even want you to find out."

"I don't give a fuck," Jeff sat down on Shannon's chair. "I can't believe this," he ran his fingers through his hair. "She's back and she has a boyfriend."

"Look, I'm going to sound like an asshole, but did you expect her to still be coming after you?" Matt sounded harsh, he knew it, but sometimes that's what his brother needs, a reality check. "You broke her heart numerous of times, I know she loved you, but she had to draw the line somewhere."

Jeff didn't answer and just closed his eyes, remembering their happy memories. He wasn't even sure how to approach this, what Matt said was true, he was a shitty boyfriend, she deserved better. Her happiness should be what matters, not his. After everything he did, she deserved to be happy, even if it wasn't with him.

Matt watched his brother and decided to stay silent, letting his brother process everything that was going on. Jeff stood up and walked towards the door. Matt moved out of the way and let Jeff go. Exiting the office, Jeff was going to say goodbye to Shannon and go home, he couldn't be near Stephen. As much as he wanted to know about Emerson, he needed some time. When he lifted his head, his heart stopped, his eyes met familiar emerald eyes.

"Emmy," he whispered.

"Hi!" She greeted happily, which surprised Jeff, Matt, and Shannon. "It's nice to finally see you two again!"

"It is definitely nice to see you again, Ms. Leon. Where have you been?" Matt questioned playfully.

Emerson's eyes opened widely before she laughed with a hint of nervousness. "Here and there." She stood beside Chace, unsure if she could hug them or not. Even though Shannon welcomed her with open arms, the two Hardy's may not.

"Come on, you know better than that. Where's my hug?" Matt smiled and opened his arms.

Emerson made her way over, wrapping her arms around Matt. "Really nice to see you both, how are you?" She questioned as she pulled away.

"We're good, nice to have you home," Matt squeezed her shoulders. "Is this your boyfriend?" His eyes drifted to Chace.

Jeff's eyes landed on the man behind Emerson and didn't even notice him till now. Was this her boyfriend? The one Stephen boasted about? He remembered him, he was on that show Emerson used to watch religiously, Gossip Girl. She was dating Nathaniel Archibald, how fucking amazing.

Emerson gave him a confused look and shook her head. "I don't have a boyfriend, Chace is a friend of my older sister, he just came to help me move my stuff in."

Matt and Jeff looked over at Stephen who rolled his eyes. Chace chuckled and shook his head at Stephen. Jeff felt beyond relief. His Emmy was single, this was going to be a piece of cake. He'll show her that he was a renewed man and they would be back on track in no time.

"Emmy," Jeff called out.

"Hi Jeff," she replied softly.

He opened his arms, much like Matt and Shannon. She walked into his arms and everything felt right in his world once again. She always fit perfectly against him, her warm body giving him comfort he didn't even know he needed. Breathing in, he inhaled her scent and it was still the same. He wasn't sure why she was so welcoming, but he didn't want to ask, it was a conversation for another day. She just came back after all.

Emerson tried to pull away, but Jeff still had his arms around her. Stephen kicked Chace to break them up, but he shook his head, signaling for him to calm down.

"Jeff, mind letting me go now?" Emerson questioned.

Jeff reluctantly let her go and gave her a small smile.

"Sorry, got carried away, haven't seen you in years." Jeff replied.

"Not a problem, it's insane to be back here." Emerson looked around the shop. "It's nice to be home, I've wanted to come for years, but my brother said I should give Texas a chance."

Matt and Jeff shot Stephen a look and he ignored them. He wasn't going to be baited. Protecting his younger sister was the most important thing for him. If he had the choice, he would have kept her out of North Carolina, but she wanted to come home and he just couldn't say no. This would be the best for her, at least that's what the doctor suggested.

Jeff was shocked to say the least. He expected Emerson to be standoffish, cold, but not welcoming. It was like their break-up never happened, she was too nice. He wasn't sure if it was a test or there was a catch, either way he didn't want to know, he didn't want to push it. If she wanted to start anew, that's fine. They'll talk about their issues one day, but for now, he was just glad that she came home.

"As long as you're home now," Shannon said.

"Yes, definitely nice to be back home, I missed it here," Emerson looked around the shop. "I guess I kept in touch by watching you guys on social media and the television screen."

"So, we're assuming you watch TNA?" Matt questioned, studying Emerson as she walked through the shop.

"No, I watch the Hardy Show a lot and your older matches," Emerson replied. "I watch TNA sometimes, just to see how you guys are doing."

It touched Jeff that Emerson wanted to be kept up to date with what they're doing.

"You could have always called us," Matt suggested.

"I wasn't ready, I am now," she looked at Matt before her eyes landed on Jeff and she smiled. "It's just good to be home."

Stephen watched as Jeff's eyes traveled with Emerson. He couldn't deny that at one point, Jeff did love his sister. But he wasn't sure if that was still the case near the end of their relationship. He felt that Jeff asked for her hand in marriage out of guilt, because he was arrested and all the bullshit he put her through. He wasn't convinced that he had an epiphany and decided that he wanted to be with Emerson. Jeff would always be a fuck up in Stephen's eyes. He was happy for his younger sister, Jeff was a stand up guy, at least he thought he was, till the cheating began. The drugs were a problem, but Stephen could hardly judge anyone who dabbled in drugs. He did it, he got cleaned much quicker than Jeff, but he couldn't hold that against anyone.

Stephen always learned the hard way when it came to bringing his younger sister and Jeff apart. It just wasn't possible. Maybe the last few years was a success, but he knew that they would find their way back to each other and here they were now.

"Will you be staying for good?" Jeff questioned.

"That's the plan," Emerson's eyes drifted to her older brother. "At least, for now."

"She's staying for a bit," Stephen agreed.

"Where do you live? Did you guys move back to your old place?" Matt questioned.

Emerson looked at her brother and he answered for her. "She lives near Shannon."

Jeff wasn't sure how to take that. Their old property was a ten minute walk from theirs. He wasn't sure if they were doing it on purpose, but whatever the case was, she was back, that's the most important thing.

"Emmy, we should go, we still have to pick up some groceries," Chace told her.

"Yeah, that's right, we just came back to give my brother his cell phone," Emerson explained to the Hardy's. "It was nice seeing you two, maybe I'll see you guys soon."

"You will, don't you worry about that," Jeff smiled.

Emerson nodded her head, waving goodbye to them all. Chace walked out after her, waving as goodbye as well.

"This doesn't change anything, I don't want you anywhere near my sister." Stephen told him.

Jeff scoffed. "You aren't going to be here, you should be much more concern for your family than your sister."

"My sister is my family," Stephen couldn't stand up, Shannon had him held down, working on his arm.

"Shouldn't you let your sister decide? You afraid she's going to pick me again? Things are different now, I'm different." Jeff informed him.

"But for how long Jeff? How long till you step out on my sister again?" Stephen questioned.

Matt stood in front of Jeff, preventing his younger brother from stepping forward. Stephen would be defenseless right now, last thing he needed was for Jeff to go to jail.

"You don't know me, Stephen," Jeff sneered.

"Sure I don't know the new you, the Jeff I let date my sister was a stand up guy, you, you're just an egotistical asshole."

Jeff stepped forward, but Matt shook his head. "He's not worth it. Go to the car, I'll take care of this."

Jeff nodded his head, walking out of the shop. Matt pulled up a chair next to Stephen and watched Shannon worked. For a few moments, the men were quiet, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. Stephen didn't want Jeff near his sister, but he knew it was a losing battle. He couldn't watch her. And Vanessa would be more welcoming that he would be, especially after the last few years, Vanessa might just call Jeff to come over. Matt wasn't going to excuse his brother's actions, but at the same time, he knew his brother has changed, that he should be given another chance.

"He loves her, you know." Matt broke the silence.

"I'm sure he did," Stephen replied.

"You know he still does."

"Look Matt, I understand you want to look out for him, you're on his side, that's understandable." Stephen looked at his old friend. "But as an older sibling, you should understand what I'm trying to do, Emerson doesn't need Jeff's bullshit, not now, not again. He broke her last time and I'm not sure she can take it again."

Matt understood where he was coming from, but he learned not to run Jeff's life. That wasn't his duty. He could guide him. He could advice him. He couldn't hold his hand it wasn't benefiting anyone. The best thing he could do was to be there for Jeff, in whatever way he needed. They were no longer children, Jeff could handle his own and if he couldn't Matt would always be there for him.

"I do, I know where you're coming from, but running our siblings lives never got us anywhere." Matt replied. "Emerson can handle her own."

"It's not about that, she handled her own before, look where it got her." Stephen sighed. "There's no point of barring Jeff from seeing Emerson, just look out for my sister."

"I will, you know I will."

"Thank you."


	2. Two

A/N: Super early update. I have till Chapter Five written, so I just wanted to give you another chapter. I don't want to update too quickly, so that I don't run out updates for you lovely people. I feel awful for all the wait so I'm trying to write as much as I can for this story and Dean Ambrose as well. Just wanted to thank you for the feedback, you guys are amazing. Hope you like the new chapter!

* * *

 **Two**

Emerson walked in her kitchen and found her brother and Chace. She waved at them, letting out a yawn as she opened the refrigerator.

It's been two weeks since Emerson moved back to North Carolina and she hasn't ran into the Hardy's since, which was an effort made by Stephen. He didn't need to see the reunion while he was in town. He was leaving this weekend and Emerson would be left with Chace till Vanessa came. She was still finishing some loose ends in Texas before heading back to North Carolina.

Shannon was just down the street so they saw one another often. Jeff has been in Shannon's place much more often than usual and he still didn't run into Emerson. As soon as Stephen would see Jeff's car in Shannon's driveway, he would bring his sister somewhere else, just to assure she wouldn't run into him. It was a valiant effort, but he knew they would run into each other soon, he didn't need to be here for that.

"Good morning," Emerson said as she sat down beside Chace in front of the island counter that doubled as a breakfast bar. "Why are you guys up so early?"

"No reason, just a busy day," Chace replied.

They still had to assemble some furniture and put away a couple of things. The house had an open floor plan, a popular layout nowadays. From the kitchen, the dining room was clearly seen, placed in between the kitchen and the sitting room that overlooked the front yard. Besides the kitchen was another living area where the television was, it was like a lounge. There was a sliding door that led out to the deck connected to the second living area; that had stairs leading down to the pool. Back inside there was a vanity downstairs and a bedroom with an en suite. Upstairs there were four bedrooms. In the basement were a pool table, an office, and a theater room of some sorts. It was a spacious abode that was too big for Emerson, but they felt that she should have a house instead of an apartment.

The basement was done and the main floor. They just had to finish the second floor and the house would be done.

"When is Vanessa getting here?" Chace questioned.

"Isn't she your girlfriend?" Emerson teased making Chace flick her off.

"We have an understanding," Chace smiled.

"How long have you two had an understanding? Three years now?" Emerson continued.

"Is that judgment I hear?"

"No, just saying, you two should have had kids by now."

Chace laughed. "Easier said than done, kid."

"Honestly, you're not that much older," Emerson stuck her tongue out.

"Doesn't matter, I'm still older."

"I mean, you are old, almost as old as Stephen."

"Your sister is a pain in my ass," Chace turned to Stephen.

Stephen laughed and nodded. "Makes the two of us." He stood up and placed his cereal bowl inside the sink. "Melody is coming in an hour to help, Chace and I have a few errands to run, so it'll be nice to have her with you."

Melody was Stephen and Emerson's cousin. She was Emerson's age and was currently living in New York.

"You mean to babysit me?" Emerson rolled her eyes, she appreciated her brother's concern, but at times, she just felt suffocated. She was an adult, yet her brother treated her like a child.

"No one is babysitting you," Stephen turned around and leaned against the counter. "She wanted to visit and help you settle, did you want me to forbid her from doing so? Isn't she your favorite cousin?"

"She is, but I just feel like you're bringing everyone here so someone can watch out for me at all times." Emerson sighed. "You know why I moved back here, are you ever going to let me just figure things out on my own?"

"Listen, I understand you're frustration, I can be overbearing, but you're my younger sister, it's my duty to look out for you." Stephen walked over to Emerson, standing in front of her on the opposite side of the counter. "I'll be out of your hair this weekend, you can do whatever you want then. Just let me hold your hand, okay? Things are complicated right now and I understand why you would want to do things on your own, but sometimes having someone helping you isn't so bad."

"Yeah, it isn't, but you're not letting me make any mistakes."

"Emmy, you've made enough before, if I can prevent you from making mistakes, I will." Stephen sighed when his phone rang. "That's the wife, go get ready Chace."

Stephen walked out of the kitchen, leaving Chace and Emerson.

"You know he's just looking out for you."

"I know, I guess I'm just being too much of a bitch."

Chace laughed. "You and bitch don't coincide Emmy, maybe sometimes, but not at this situation. You're frustration is understandable. Once the weekend is done, you can go exploring without him breathing down your neck."

"Who thought you would be so wise Crawford?"

"Loads of people do, actually. Only you don't have any faith in me."

"I do, I just like giving you a hard time."

"You should be nicer, I can air out dirty secrets."

Emerson laughed. "To who? Between you and me, I'm not the famous one."

"You wouldn't air my dirty secrets."

"No, I wouldn't, my sister would kill me."

"Glad we have an understanding."

* * *

Jeff walked in Shannon's home with the grocery bags in his hands. They were planning to have a barbeque in Shannon's place since they haven't gotten together for quite some time. Matt was coming, so was Shane and his wife. Amaya, Matt's wife was supposed to come, but she had to go in and work. She'll be coming a little later. A couple of their other friends were coming by as well and Shannon's employees. Shannon was going to invite Emerson, but Jeff insisted that he could do it in person.

It was an excuse to see Emerson, but he didn't care, he needed an excuse with Stephen hanging around like a guard dog.

He even brought the dog he and Emerson bought together, a Siberian Husky named Ares.

"So, are you gonna go over there and invite her?" Shannon questioned as he watched Jeff unload the grocery bags.

"All in good time," Jeff replied, folding bag once all the times were out. "You think I should bring Ares over?"

"No, just keep him here, she can see him when she comes." Shannon was petting Ares as he sat beside him, watching Jeff move around the kitchen.

"You just want your alone time," Jeff teased.

"I love your dog man, can't wait to get one of my own," Shannon replied, hugging Ares. "His eyes are so fucking blue."

Jeff laughed. "Maybe you see yourself in Ares?"

"I'm not sure if that was an insult, so fuck you."

Jeff laughed once more.

"I have to ask you something," Shannon started. "Don't you think it's a bit weird that Emerson greeted you the way she did?"

It was definitely weird. Emerson was too welcoming, too nice. It was like the break-up never happened. She was welcoming him like an old friend and it didn't make sense. Sure he didn't want to question it when it was happening because he was overjoyed by her return, but something wasn't right.

"It was. I mean I brushed it off because I was just excited to see her." Jeff sighed. "But I agree, it was off."

"I'm not trying to say that she can't forgive and forget, but the way you fucked up on her, it just didn't make sense for her to be so nice." Shannon sat on the counter. "That's not the Emerson we know."

"Thanks for the reminder, Shannon," Jeff mumbled. "But you're right, that's not the Emmy we know."

"What if she was brainwashed?"

Jeff gave him an incredulous look. "Honestly, of all the possibilities, that was what you went with?"

"Hey, you never know!"

"I don't know, whatever it is, I'll get to the bottom of it today." Jeff leaned against the island counter in the middle of the kitchen. "Maybe she's just pretending? You know, making it seem like she's okay, but in reality she isn't. You know her, she hides it well."

"She definitely does, whenever news of you fucking around got to her, I never really saw her react." Shannon shook his head thinking back of all the times that Emerson confided in him about Jeff's infidelity. Not exactly confide, but when Jeff would cheat on her, she would just know. He asked her how she found out and she just shook her head, saying that it didn't matter how she found out. "Can't believe you would do it to her, couldn't believe it then, can't believe it now."

"Honestly, do we have to keep going back to my mistakes? I paid for them, I apologized, I'm sorry I can't erase them, but I'm human, I make mistakes." Jeff was starting to become upset. Every time they spoke about Emerson, Shannon, almost anyone brought up his infidelity. He got it, he was a fuck up, he didn't need a constant reminder of it. Not having her in his life was a reminder he lived with everyday.

"Don't get mad, I'm not trying to piss you off," Shannon held up his hands. "I'm sure you would have done things differently."

"I would, these last few years, it's been difficult man." Jeff crossed his arms over his chest. "I was trying so hard for my life not to fall apart when she left and thankfully it didn't, but everyday I woke up with no good morning text from her or feeling her against me in our bed, it was a harsh reality."

"Well, guess someone is still looking out for you up there because she came back." Shannon gave his best friend a small smile. "Guess you're getting another chance."

"Yeah, thankfully, if only I can get her alone."

"She's alone at the house," Shannon informed him.

"How do you even know that?"

"Stephen stopped by and said that he was going to run some errands with Chace, so he asked me to check on his sister in an hour or so." Shannon smirked. "Guess who's going to check on her since I'm busy preparing for the barbeque?"

"Have to say, you're wise when you need to be." Jeff walked over to Shannon and Ares. "Should I head over there now?"

"It's been two hours, so yeah, you should."

Jeff shook his head and walked out of the kitchen. Ares followed him, at the front door he turned to his beloved dog and petted him. "I'll be back, just going to get mommy." He was surprised that Emerson didn't take Ares with her. She adored the dog and had always wanted one. Ares loved her as well, the dog was quite upset the first year of Emerson's disappearance. The two had each other when the most important woman in their life walked away.

Jeff got in his car and drove to Emerson's place. Sure enough, Stephen's car wasn't there and the only car in the driveway was Emerson's, at least he assumed it to be hers. Turning the engine off, he slid out of the car and closed the door behind him. He pushed the button to lock his car and walked over to the front door. The butterflies were flying again and he was trying to calm himself. It was just Emerson, he could do this, piece of cake.

He rang the doorbell and waited. The door opened a few seconds later. He opened his mouth to greet her, but it all failed when his eyes landed on the person who opened the door. "Melody?"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my least favorite Hardy," Melody smiled. "Can't even say I'm surprised to see you. If anything, what took you so long?"

Jeff chuckled. "Been busy," he shrugged. "What are you doing at our neck of the woods? Shouldn't you be in New York with your British boyfriend?"

"Ben is in Los Angeles so I decided to visit my cousin." Melody gestured for him to enter. "She's in the basement."

"No third degree?"

"I think you've received enough from Stephen, I'll turn the other way and pretend I didn't let you in." She winked before going up the stairs.

Jeff shook his head and made his way down the stairs to the basement. He found Emerson hanging a painting on the wall, moving it every once in a while to make sure it was right in the middle. A memory popped up in Jeff's mind of the first time they moved in together. Emerson wanted to hang up one of his paintings in the dining room and he spent a good thirty minutes moving the painting back and forth to get it to the middle of the wall. It was annoying, but Emerson made it worthwhile afterwards when she gave him a massage for her indecisiveness.

"Hey," he greeted.

Emerson turned around and smiled. "Hey Jeff! Long time no see, just got back from the road?"

"Something like that," he walked over to her. "Need some help?"

"No, I'm good," Emerson got down from the chair she was standing on. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to check in on you, I see Melody is here."

"Yes, she's visiting for a couple of days." Emerson put the chair back by the bar, an addition her brother insisted that she had.

Jeff nodded. "How have you been?"

"Good, just finishing up the moving process." Emerson's face scrunched up. "I really hate unpacking."

Jeff had to let out a laugh. He remembered Emerson saying no to moving in with him because of the moving process. He had rolled his eyes and promised that he would help her unpack and he did. Thinking about the past was a fond one for him, yet bittersweet. He realized just how he truly fucked up on Emerson.

"Yeah, unpacking sucks ass, but once it's all done with, it's all worth it."

"Very true," she nodded her head. "Thankfully my brother and Chace were here to help me out."

"When is Vanessa getting here?"

"She isn't exactly moving in here, only for a couple of months then she's moving with Chace to North Dakota." Emerson sat down on the couch patting the seat next to her for Jeff to sit down. "He's going to start filming for a television show, so she's going to go with him."

"Is your sister his assistant?" Jeff questioned as he sat next to her.

"No, his unofficial girlfriend."

Jeff laughed. "What?"

"They're not putting any labels on it, but they're basically together." Emerson shrugged. "People can be complicated at times."

"Cant argue with that," Jeff leaned back. "You happy to be home?"

"Very," Emerson followed Jeff's actions, leaning her head against the top of the couch. "Texas was great, but this is definitely home."

"I missed you," Jeff confessed.

Emerson pursed her lips and remained silent.

And there it was.

Jeff knew what was happening.

The façade was breaking and her anger was finally going to show. He knew it had been four years, but the damage was severe, they haven't been able to duke it out. He figured that it would be better to get the argument out of the way, to get the closure for that chapter and to begin writing the next one.

"Emmy, I'm sorry, for what happened between us, I truly apologize. I shouldn't have done what I did and for the rest of our lives I will regret my actions. But I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am for hurting you the way I did." Jeff sat up, moving his body to face her. "Can you forgive me?"

Emerson sat up as well and placed a hand on his. "Sure, you're forgiven," she smiled.

Jeff was taken back. It couldn't be that easy. It wasn't like Emerson was a vindictive person, but she wouldn't forgive him that easily. She would want to talk it out, to discuss what he did that really broke her. He felt like she was brushing the break-up off like it was nothing, like it didn't matter as much as he thought it did. Unless, she wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, which would be ridiculous since their last meeting didn't exactly end well.

"Emerson, do you know what I'm apologizing for?" Jeff questioned, searching her face for an answer, but to his surprise he wasn't able to read her. Well he was, but that couldn't be her reaction, she was nervous. He should be nervous not her.

"Um, it was so long ago Jeff, could be anything, I'm sure whatever you did, you didn't mean," Emerson shrugged it off.

And that's the red flag.

Emerson wouldn't brush off his infidelity like that. She wouldn't brush off their relationship like that. What the fuck was going on?

Jeff took his hand back from Emerson and stood up. "Emerson, you don't remember what I did?" He wasn't sure if she was messing with him. Or she was trying to avoid the confrontation. She hated confrontation, that was something he knew, but this was bullshit. This was their relationship, a relationship he cherished contrary to popular belief.

Taking a deep breath, he tried not to let his temper get the best of him. Shouting at Emerson wouldn't get anywhere, even if she were playing dumb, he wasn't going to be baited. She might use this against him.

He looked over at her and saw the panic written all over her face.

"Are you free? Shannon is having a barbeque, he wants you to come." Changing the subject would be the best thing to do, he wasn't sure how to handle this situation. He had to talk to Shannon. Was it possible she lost her memory? But that couldn't be. No one told him she got into a car accident or anything. They would tell him, they wouldn't leave him out in the cold like that. Stephen was heartless, but not that heartless.

"Sure, Melody and I just need to finish a couple of things, should I bring something? I can bake a cake?" And the old Emerson showed up. It was her thing. She baked for every party.

"No, it's fine, we just want you to relax, do you girls need help with anything?" Jeff questioned. "I'll just wait for you guys."

"We're just putting the beddings in," Emerson stood up and began to make her way to the stairs to go to the main floor. "Are you okay, Jeff? I feel like I upset you." She bit her lip, watching him.

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine," he gave her a small smile. "I'm just surprised you forgot why I'm apologizing."

"You're a good guy, I'm sure whatever it is you are truly apologetic." She turned back and gave him a smile.

Jeff walked after her, unsure how to reply. She was too forgiving. Was she dying? Is that why she came back home? No, she couldn't. They haven't spent their life together she couldn't die.

"Are you sick?" Jeff spoke up, surprising Emerson.

She looked back at him as they reached the main floor. "What?"

"Are you sick? Like is there something wrong? Is that why you came back?"

"No," Emerson slightly laughed. "I just wanted to come home, is that hard to believe?"

"It's not, but something is off." There it was again, the panic. Was he missing something?

"Everything is fine, believe me." She turned to the stairs leading up the stairs. "Mel! Are you done?"

"Yes, coming down," Melody appeared at the top of the stairs. "Ah, Hardy, you're still here."

"Of course," Jeff replied. "So, Shannon is having a barbeque, wondering if you wanted to go? Emerson said yes."

"Well, if she said yes, I have no choice," Melody teased. "Feels weird, doesn't it?"

"A little," Jeff looked over at Emerson. "You two ready to go?"

"Sure, let's go." Emerson got her cell phone and keys from the kitchen counter before following Melody and Jeff to his car. She made her way toward the front passenger seat and opened the door. "Your truck is high, thank God I'm tall." Sliding in the car, she closed the door once she was inside.

When everyone was in, Jeff started the car and backed out of the driveway, making his way to Shannon. He was excited for Emerson to see Ares once again, it would surely make her happy. He parked beside Matt's car and turned the engine off. They got out of the car and walked inside the house without even knocking, but they were invited, it was fine.

As soon as they walked in, Ares was already at the door, greeting him.

"Ares, look who's here," Jeff pointed at Emerson.

Ares looked over at Emerson and immediately went over, standing up on his hind legs and licking her. He was excitedly jumping around and whining, greeting Emerson. She laughed and petted the dog, kneeling down to get on his level. He licked her once more and Emerson laughed harder.

"What an adorable dog! He's so friendly, is this your dog?" Emerson questioned. "I've always wanted a husky."

Jeff's heart dropped. She wasn't faking it. There was a reason she was so nice to him, so welcoming. There was a reason why she forgave him so easily, merely brushing off their break-up. She didn't forgive him, she forgot him.

Melody watched the realization come upon Jeff's face. She wasn't sure what to do. They could walk home, she should get Emerson out of this situation. She wasn't ready to face the questions.

"Jeff," Melody called out, blocking his way to Emerson. "We need to talk."

"No, you can wait," Jeff's replied, his tone hard, closed off. His eyes were trained on Emerson as she played with Ares.

"Jeff, please," Melody pleaded.

Jeff's eyes drifted to Melody, seeing the urgency. He wasn't sure he was ready to listen to her family. They obviously decided as a whole to shut him out of her life and that was some bullshit. But he and Melody were always in good terms, even though she failed to mention her cousin had amnesia, he'll give her his time.

He led her to Shannon's basement and it was thankfully deserted.

"Jeff, I know you're angry, but please, listen to me." Melody looked around, keeping her voice at a minimum. "She got into a car accident four years ago, it was pretty bad and she miraculously came out with some injuries, the most severe was her memory loss."

He fucking knew it. How could they keep this from him? He could have helped her, anything. When she needed him most, he wasn't there for her. But it wasn't his fault. This was all on her siblings. They fucked up. They chose not to tell him. That's why he couldn't find her, why she didn't reply to his messages, because they deliberately erased him from her life.

Melody studied his reaction and he had a blank stare, but the fury was clearly seen. "For the record, I told Stephen to tell you because you deserve to know," she continued. "But he was adamant that everything happened for a reason, that you didn't deserve to be a part of her new life."

"Vanessa wanted to call you, but Stephen convinced her not to tell you. I should have told you, I should have said something, but I didn't and I'm sorry. No matter how shitty you treated her, you don't deserve to be erased from Emerson's life when you were such an important part of it." Melody sighed. "Please don't fault Emerson, she remembers you guys, but nothing that happened pass a month after her graduation. For the first two years, she didn't really remember anything and she's still not doing well. So she asked to come back here and her doctor suggested it as well, that coming home might trigger her memories."

"Why is she pretending then?" Jeff managed to ask her without any hint of emotion that he was trying to control.

"She just didn't want to disappoint you guys, she's met people that she met just a few years back and she doesn't remember them, it's frustrating for her because they just look at her with pity." Melody crossed her arms over her chest. "She just didn't want questions, she didn't really think this one through."

"No, she fucking didn't." Jeff growled out.

"Jeff, I know you're frustrated but now is not the time to be angry." Melody sighed. "She has a form of amnesia, retrograde I believe, she doesn't even remember her mother died."

Doesn't remember beyond eighteen? So he wasn't completely wiped out, she remembered them, she just didn't remember their friendship or their relationship. That was fantastic, just what he needed.

"Does she remember _him_?"

Melody pursed her lips and nodded her head.

Alexander Danvers. Emerson's unrequited love. They had met at the age of ten becoming fast friends. At the age of thirteen, Alex moved to Europe, his father was in the military and he was placed in Germany. By sixteen, Alex was back in Emerson's life, their friendship never fading since the two kept in touch. Then at eighteen, Alex left once again to move to California for college. Emerson was heartbroken when he left. She never told Alex that she was in love with him, that he was her world. Then a few months later, her mother passed away. Jeff was the one who found her when she everything became too much for her.

* * *

 _Jeff was walking his dogs, home from the road for a couple of days. It was always relaxing for him to be able to take out his boys and just take some time for himself. He loved his job, extremely thankful for the opportunity he was given, but the traveling could be a bit much at times. Walking to the familiar path between his home and Matt's he noticed a figure sitting on Matt's back porch. He cautiously made his way to Matt's house and as he got closer, the figure became more recognizable, it was Stephen's younger sister, Emerson._

 _His dogs ran to Emerson, startling the young girl. She looked up and their eyes met, her striking hazel eyes always captured him. It was weird for him to feel that way, but whenever their eyes met, even when she was younger, he was always stuck in her eyes._

" _Hey, you alright?" He questioned as he got closer to her._

" _Yeah, sorry," she wiped her face, standing up after she pet his dogs. "Matt's doing laundry," she bit her lip, trying to prevent herself from crying again. Taking a deep breath, she wiped the tears that escaped and spoke. "Matt lets me come here when I need some time alone, my family can be overbearing at times."_

 _Jeff nodded. "Understandable, you can stay, I was just wondering who was here," he sat down and patted the spot next to him. "I know we're not close, but maybe I can help out?"_

 _Emerson's bottom lip quivered before she let out a sob and the tears just came running down. Jeff froze, unsure of what to do. He'd been around women who cried before, but this was different. It was Emerson. He'd never seen her cry before, but then again he rarely spent that much time with her. He moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in. She slightly moved her position and she faced him, wrapping her arms around his body, burying her face on his chest. He heard her sobs as she continued to cry. He rubbed her back soothingly, letting her just cry it out._

 _Jeff's dogs lied on the porch, watching Emerson and Jeff. He placed his cheek on the top of her head, wrapping her in his arms._

 _Once the tears stopped, she took a deep breath and slightly laughed. "I'm so sorry, your jacket is wet."_

" _Don't worry about it," he brushed it off. "You want to talk about it?"_

" _My mom died," she bit her lip, trying to compose herself. "It feels surreal, I was just talking to her and then the next thing I know she's dead." Emerson let out a few more tears. "I just can't believe she's gone."_

 _Jeff knew the feeling. It was how he felt when his mother passed away. He could relate to Emerson._

" _I know how you feel, same thing I felt when my mom passed away," Jeff wiped a tear from her cheek. It stung, seeing Emerson cry. He wasn't even sure why it did, she was just Stephen's sister. Sure he spoke to her a few times and he would consider her a friend, but there was just never anything between them until now. "It's going to be hard, but just know you're not alone."_

" _Yeah," she nodded. "Alex is gone too."_

 _Alex, the same sounded familiar. Stephen always spoke about Alex and Emerson. It was like you couldn't mention one without the other. They were attached to the hip and as fat as he knew, Alex disappeared from Emerson's life as often as he's in it. Sure, they keep the friendship in tact, but it was still strained to some extent._

" _And you just feel like everyone is leaving you?" Jeff questioned._

 _Emerson nodded her head, unable to speak as her tears came back._

" _I understand why you feel that way, but you still have your siblings and the rest of your family. I know they're not a substitute for the people you're missing, but you have people around you who care about you," Jeff reminded her. "You have Shannon, Shane, my dad, Matt, Amy and I as well."_

" _Thanks Jeff, that means a lot." Emerson gave him a small smile. "Sorry to bother you with this."_

" _Don't even worry about it," Jeff kissed her forehead. "If you need me, I'm here for you."_

* * *

And that's how their friendship began.

The tragedies in Emerson's life brought them closer together.

"Where is he?" Jeff questioned.

"Still in California, but he visits Emerson often." Melody replied.

Jeff bit his inner cheek, looking up at the ceiling. He shook his head and sighed. "This is fucking fantastic, she lost her memory and Alexander is back, this day couldn't get any better."

"Look, I know you're upset, but dwelling on the fact Alexander is back isn't going to help matters." Melody told him. "Emerson is the biggest concern here, she's the one who we have to help, who gives a shit about Alexander?"

"I do, I can't have him hanging around Emerson, he'll just swoop in for the kill." Jeff replied.

"Wait, Jeff, you want to get back with Emerson?" Melody questioned. "Besides, Alex is married."

"I have no idea why that seems like a surprising concept to you, but yes I do." Jeff replied. "Doesn't mean anything, I know he has feelings for your cousin, maybe he settled cause he knew Emerson and I were together."

"It's been two years Jeff, we all thought you moved on." It was true, they all thought he moved on. The calls from Jeff stopped coming so they just assumed he moved on. "Alex isn't like that, if he really did have feelings for her, he would have been divorced by now."

"Well you thought wrong," Jeff scoffed. "I've been waiting for her and now that she's back I have no plans of letting her out of my sight."

"Jeff, you might have to face facts that she might not remember, it's been years and she hasn't remember anything." Melody crossed her arms over her chest. "I just think you need to accept whatever you can get from her."

"I think ya'll been selfish with her for far too long, it's my turn now." Jeff walked up the stairs and into the living room. There he was met with Ares and Emerson sitting on the couch, Ares had his head on Emerson's lap as she watched television. Her hand was stroking his head, just like old times. Seeing that made him feel like there was hope to bring back their old relationship that they could make it. He didn't give a shit what anyone had to say, he'll bring the old Emerson back and if he couldn't it were still them against the world.

Jeff sat beside Emerson, softly nudging her. "I think you're in love with my dog."

"Oh, I am, I'm stealing him from you," Emerson joked, resting her arm against Ares' stomach. "He's such a friendly dog."

"You've met him before," Jeff lowly told her. "I know, Emerson."

Emerson turned her head to look at him and she gave him a sheepish smile. Looking around before her eyes landed on him once again, she sighed. "I'm sorry, I remember you guys to some extent, I just don't remember anything after I graduated high school, well a month after."

"You know it's okay right? We wouldn't have been offended if you had told us."

"It wasn't that, I just didn't want the looks of pity or the looks of hurt that everyone would get when I say I don't remember them." Emerson looked at the television once again. "Relationships I've build all over the years lost because of an accident. It's frustrating because I want to remember you and everyone else. But it's not happening right now. Hopefully moving back home will help out."

"Hey, you don't remember this, but I've told you before, I'll always be here for you." Jeff placed his hand over hers and softly squeezed it. "It'll happen gradually, just for now, readjust and we'll be here to help out."

Emerson just felt a calm come over her. Having Jeff on her side felt amazing. She wasn't even sure why that was, Jeff and her were never really closed, but the way he spoke to her, the comfort she felt, they might have gotten closer over the years.

"Can you help me tell them?" Emerson questioned.

Jeff smiled. "Of course, Emmy, anything for you." He stood up and called over Matt, Shannon, and Shane. Melody had joined Emerson while he was out to get the three men. Thankfully the rest of Shannon's guest weren't there yet.

"What's going on?" Matt questioned. "You alright Emmy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just had something to tell you guys." Emerson looked at Jeff who gave her an encouraging smile and nodded his head. "I have amnesia and I don't remember anything pass a month after my high school graduation."

The three men stood frozen and looked at Jeff for confirmation. He nodded his head and their eyes traveled back to Emerson.

"That's why you were so welcoming towards Jeff." Shannon said, receiving an elbow from Shane.

Emerson gave him a questioning look, but Matt spoke up to avert her attention. "Emmy, why didn't you tell us? How long has it been?"

Matt had more questions, but these questions weren't for Emerson, it was for Stephen. He conveniently hid his younger sister when she needed them the most. It wasn't a cool move and he had to talk to him about it.

"Around three years now?" She sighed. "I'm sorry, I wanted to pretend that I can fit in, like there was no trouble, but that was obviously a bad idea." Her tears began to form in her eyes. "I just didn't want the looks of pity or for you guys to be hurt. I didn't really think it through."

Shane walked over to her and enveloped her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him. He pulled away and kissed her cheek. "We're here for you, whatever you need. Just because you lost your memory, it doesn't change a thing between all of us."

"I agree," Shannon made his way over as well, hugging her. "We love you and I'm sure you remember that."

"I do," Emerson wiped the tears that fell from her eyes. "Can I still come over your back porch if I need space?"

"You can live in my house if you want to," Matt wrapped his arms around her. "We're gonna make it through this, Emmy, you're going to be just fine, with or without your memories. We can always make new ones."

Emerson smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you." She turned to Jeff. "Thanks."

"Of course, anytime."


	3. Three

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm trying to space out the updates, but here's another one for you! Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I'm enjoying the writing process, especially since I got so much help from my friend, a fellow writer on here. I honestly couldn't do this without her and I'm just so thankful for her support. All of your support means the world to me, so thank you for liking the story! Things are starting to get crazy, but thankfully I have a few chapters already written out. Currently writing chapter seven of this story and I'm making good progress. Thank you for all the love!

* * *

 **Three**

Stephen exited his car and sighed. Matt had texted him the night of the barbecue insisting that he had to speak to him before he left. Emerson had told him that they knew of her condition, that they knew she lost her memories. He wasn't exactly looking forward to this conversation. He didn't feel the need to justify his actions concerning his younger sister. It was none of their business. Years of friendship aside, Emerson was _his_ family, not Matt's or Jeff's.

Locking his car, he made his way to the front door, which opened revealing Matt.

Stephen smirked. "Just you?"

"Jeff doesn't need to be here for this, he might try to strangle you and I don't have the heart to stop him this time." Matt stepped aside to let Stephen in, closing the door after him.

"Where's Amaya?" Stephen had met Amaya when Matt was still dating her four years ago. She was a nice girl and was a great fit for Matt.

"She went out to do some errands." Matt replied. He had asked his wife to go over his father's for a while; he wanted it to be just him and Stephen. Amaya didn't need to be there for the conversation.

Matt led him to the kitchen which was located next to the dining table that overlooked Matt's backyard. Though his backyard was basically a forest, but still a backyard. They sat across from one another, Stephen waited for Matt to speak, he wasn't exactly sure how he should start the conversation since he didn't know the questions Matt had.

"You're an asshole, you know that right?" Matt started.

"I do, many reasons why I'm asshole, want to tell me why you're calling me one?" Stephen questioned.

"Look, you have a vendetta against Jeff, fine, but for you to not tell _any_ of us that she lost her memory, that was fucked up." Matt sneered. "Closing all of us off was not only unfair to us, but to Emerson as well. Didn't she ever ask about us? Why we weren't speaking to her?"

Emerson asked about the Hardy's, Shannon, and Shane quite often. She wondered why they were no longer around or why they never visited. Moving was never in Emerson's plans, even when she broke up with Jeff. She was going to tough it out and stay in North Carolina because that's where home was for her. Stephen felt awful, he did, as hard as it was to believe, he felt terrible. But he did what he did for his sister and he wasn't alone in this, Vanessa was on board as well. Not like he was trying to place blame, but losing your memory was traumatic, he wanted Emerson to stay close so they can be with her at all times.

Sure, he was in New Orleans, but Vanessa was in Texas. At least she had someone there who could always look out for her. Maybe he could be accused of being overprotective, but he lost his younger sister once, it wasn't going to happen again.

"I'm not going to apologize." Stephen began. "I did what I had to do for my younger sister, we spoke about this before this all went down, remember?"

* * *

 _Matt opened the door and was surprised to find Stephen on the other side. He gestured for his old friend to come in, telling him he was just preparing dinner._

" _Did you want some?" Matt questioned._

" _No, I just wanted to talk to you." Stephen replied, sitting by the island counter Matt had at the center of his kitchen. "About Jeff and Emerson."_

 _It was an end of an era. Jeff and Emerson finally broke up. Sure, they had their break-up's before, but Jeff was always able to win Emerson back. But this time around, Emerson walked away before Jeff could even begin forming a plan to win her back. Whenever Jeff tried to call her, she wasn't answering. He would call her siblings, but that's a lost cause. When he would come by the house, Emerson was never home. He thought it was a lie, but Vanessa would even let Jeff look around the house and he never once saw Emerson._

 _Matt felt horrible that it ended the way it did, but Emerson had to walk away before Jeff dragged her with him. Jeff was not in a good place and the last thing any of them wanted was for Emerson to be dragged down. He was going to talk to Emerson, to try and convince her that she could be there for Jeff, just not in a romantic stand point, it was the last thing Jeff needed. But before he could even say anything, Candice, the girl Jeff was having an affair with, came clean to Emerson. He hasn't told Jeff, but he was certain his younger brother would find out soon._

" _I was going to try and convince her to leave, that she could be there for Jeff without being with him, but Candice beat me to it." Matt turned off the stove, knowing that he wouldn't be able to give the food his attention. "I love my brother, I'd do anything to keep him happy, but I just couldn't keep watching Emerson be dragged down with him. If he wants to do drugs, that's on him, but to constantly have Emerson there, just picking up the pieces, it was too much."_

" _You did the right thing," Stephen commended him. "Jeff's a friend, but I'm not going to let him keep doing this to Emerson. She deserves better. Sure ain't Alexander, but they deserve better."_

" _They?"_

" _I mean Emerson and Jeff. Emerson deserves a better boyfriend and Jeff should clean up his damn act." Stephen explained. "I'm not the biggest fan of Alexander, but I can't deny that my sister listens to him like he's the second coming of Jesus Christ. Never understood it, he flakes more than anyone I've ever met, but she still believes in him."_

" _She sees the good in people?" Matt shrugged. "Emerson isn't waiting for him, he's just there when she needs him the most, but he usually disappears afterwards."_

" _Flake." Stephen shook his head. "How's Jeff?"_

" _Miserable."_

 _That was one way of putting it. Jeff was no longer employed by the WWE, reasoning that he wanted to heal his injuries, which was not a lie. Jeff's had a few lingering injuries and with the E's schedule, it would be difficult to heal. And his head wasn't in the game, he had to take some time off, to collect himself. Matt was pretty sure he was using again as well; he could see the signs._

" _You should take him to rehab, I'm just scared he's going to overdose with Emerson no longer around." Stephen voiced out._

" _Makes the two of us, I have my dad checking in on him, but we learned with Jeff. You can't make him do something he doesn't want to do. He feels that these pills are helping him, so what can we do?" Matt was frustrated. It was the same thing. He wanted to help Jeff, they all did, but you can't help someone who doesn't think they need help. It was nearly impossible. He wasn't going to keep forcing Jeff; it was hopeless._

" _No, you can't, just like Emerson." Stephen chuckled. "Unless you drag her kicking and screaming. So does Jeff know about Candice telling Emerson?"_

" _I don't think so," Matt shook his head. "I'm surprised Candice hasn't tried reaching out to him since she knows they're over. She saw Emerson the night she came to the house show."_

" _Emerson told us," Stephen nodded. "Listen, I'm not Jeff's biggest fan, but it sucks seeing my little sister as broken up as she is."_

" _Yeah, I can't imagine what she's going through, how is she doing?"_

" _She takes it one day at a time, there are days she's okay and other days where she just keeps to herself."_

" _It'll get better right?"_

" _Yeah, it will,"_

" _She doesn't want to see Jeff or you won't let her see Jeff?"_

" _You and I both know that I can't make Emerson do anything, it was her choice. She knows what would happen if she did, she would give in and stay." Stephen sighed. "Emerson is a strong woman, that's not something I ever doubted, but the way she stayed with Jeff, it was pathetic. She knew Jeff started cheating on her way before this Candice incident, but what did she do? Look the other way, doesn't fucking make sense to me."_

 _Matt nodded. It didn't make sense, but Emerson had talked to him about it. When Emerson stopped traveling with Jeff and stayed home to manage her bakery, things started changing. By that time, Jeff was already involved in drugs, but it wasn't as bad as it was now. Either way, Jeff partied hard and had fun, while Emerson stayed home. He slept around, this he could attest to and he kept mum. It wasn't his business. Besides, Jeff always assured him that he loves Emerson; it was a slip of judgment. There would be months where Jeff didn't cheat on her then he would break it then he would be abstain again._

 _If Matt was going to be honest, the bakery started all of this. When Emerson started building a life of her own, things started going awry between her and Jeff. The problem wasn't the bakery, Jeff was supportive, it was the way Emerson went about getting the bakery that Jeff had much problems with._

" _She was just afraid of what would happen if she walked away."_

 _Stephen shook his head. "Still doesn't justify it, no offense, but your brother is a big boy, his mistakes are his own."_

" _But put yourself in Emerson's shoes, you're his girlfriend, you two basically share a life. She would feel guilty if she walked away and he overdosed while she wasn't there."_

" _Whatever man, I'm not going to excuse your brother's idiotic behavior."_

" _She's not leaving North Carolina?"_

" _She doesn't want to. I think it's a horrible choice, I'm pretty sure she'll run into Jeff."_

" _Jeff isn't working, I'm sure he's just waiting to see her at the shop."_

" _I'm still trying to convince her to start anew, she's a talented cake designer and her pastries are amazing, she can always start over." Stephen took out his phone to check if Vanessa called and there weren't any missed calls. "She's my baby sister man, you know I would do anything for her."_

" _Yeah, but take it form me, don't ever try to run your younger sibling's life, it doesn't get you anywhere." Matt advised._

 _Stephen chuckled. "You're telling me, sister's are so difficult."_

" _I definitely do not envy you, especially with a sister like Emerson." Matt chuckled as well. "No offense, she's amazing, but she's a fucking handful."_

" _Ugh, don't even get me started." Stephen rolled his eyes._

" _We're good though?"_

" _You and me?"_

" _Yeah."_

" _Of course man, we're good, I know it's going to be weird for a while, but we're good."_

* * *

"No on is faulting you for taking care of Emerson, that's your sister, it's understandable." Matt commended. "But you deliberately hid her when we could have helped her out."

"You could have, but I'm not going to dwell on that." Stephen was not apologetic. If Matt wanted an apology, he wasn't getting one from Stephen. What he did was justifiable to him, no matter how wrong it was to everyone else. "You should know, you would have done the same for Jeff."

"No I fucking wouldn't. If I knew certain people could help him, I would do anything I could to help him." Matt shook his head. "Stephen, your anger is understandable, but this is ridiculous."

"What do you want me to say Matt? You obviously asked me to come here for a reason."

"I just want to know the details, what happened?" Matt knew that he was battling a losing fight with Stephen. Stubbornness was a Leon trait. "When did the accident happen?"

"When Jeff called her after his arrest," Stephen replied. "We had gotten into an argument because she insisted on seeing Jeff, I was adamant that she didn't go. Jeff was in a bad place and my sister didn't need to be around that, especially since he just got out of jail. I should have stopped her." He regretted it, letting Emerson go that night. He blamed himself at first then he blamed Jeff, but it was Emerson's choice. Yet, he couldn't conclude to her accident not being his fault even though it was Emerson's choice. He felt like he could have done more and it pissed him off to no end. "Whenever she questioned things about the last few years, shit is hard man. Emerson is there, but she's different, she's not the same stubborn young woman who gave me shit about Jeff or about school. At times, she's so unquestioning that it's surreal."

"How hurt was she?"

"She had a few scratches, broken arm, but the most significant injury was to her head. She hit the window pretty hard when the car was t-boned." Stephen recalled. "The car was wrecked, I mean, the driver's side was basically indented in, I'm surprised the broken arm was the only thing she sustained, at least until we learned how severe the head injury was."

"Did she even know she was in a car accident?"

"No, she thought she had her wisdom teeth removed, which she did two weeks after her graduation." Stephen pursed his lips. "She was so afraid man, at least she remember some things, but to learn she was twenty-six and she's lived a life she doesn't remember, it was heartbreaking."

"Did she ask about us?"

"Oddly enough, her first question was where Jeff was, she didn't even know why she asked that." Stephen crossed his arms over his chest, looking up at the ceiling. "Jeff was the one who brought her in to get her wisdom teeth taken out, one of the times they were alone together and she had told me how interesting Jeff was. Could you imagine that? Jeff rarely interacted with my sister then, but first thing she asks about when she wakes up was Jeff."

"No matter what you do, it's like Jeff is embedded in her memory already." Matt laughed.

"Don't remind me," Stephen rolled his eyes. "I wasn't trying to erase Jeff, I just thought she would be able to remember without bringing her home here, that she would be okay. There was never a time table, but I thought she would remember within a couple of months."

"But she didn't?"

"No, she just got frustrated and became more closed off."

"Is that when you decided to bring her here?"

"Not exactly," Stephen chuckled. "She wouldn't talk to me and basically threatened to run away and come here. Teenager way of thinking, but I wasn't even surprised."

Matt laughed. "Ah, I remember those days, that's why I offered my house as her escape."

Stephen and Emerson always came to blows, especially when her mother died. They didn't always disagree, but when they did, Emerson always ran. It was her way of dealing with things since she didn't want to stay home. There were several times that Vanessa and Stephen would call Matt or Gil, Jeff and Matt's father, if Emerson were at their home. Eventually, Matt offered Emerson an escape. Whenever she was feeling overwhelmed, she was welcomed at his house.

"You know what Matt, I'll apologize for excluding you, you truly looked after my sister." Stephen had to give it to Matt. When he wasn't there and enjoying his life in New Orleans, Matt took care of his sister at the best of his ability. There were flaws with the way he handled the situation, but again, he was not apologetic for closing some people off, specifically Jeff.

"You're still an asshole."

Stephen laughed. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"So what's the plan now? Where does she go from here? Does she work?" Matt questioned.

"She's just going to start her life over."

"What?"

"Emerson has basically resigned herself to the way her life is now, that she's not going to remember anything. If she remembers, she remembers, if not, she'll learn to live her life." Stephen placed his elbows against the counter, leaning against it. "It's stupid, but what can I do? It gets frustrating because she doesn't remember shit. Not even when Alexander comes to town."

"Why? Does he still have his savior complex?"

"Oh you know it." Stephen didn't like Alexander, not even a little bit. He liked Jeff more than Alexander, way more. "I never understood Alex, he seemed so in love with my sister, yet, he never tried to make a move, not even now and she's back in the 'Alex is my whole world' binge."

"She's back to that?" Matt groaned. "Things just keep getting better and better."

"Right? Alex always came when my sister was in trouble, he felt that he had to save my sister or something, especially from Jeff." Stephen said.

"So, did Emerson ever ask what she did all these years she missed?"

Stephen nodded. "She did, we told her about the bakery, which she seemed surprised about, but we left out anything more complicated than that."

"Nice way of saying we left out Jeff."

"Hey, what else can I say? It would complicate things, we're just letting her remember on her own, if she ever remembered something about her and Jeff I would have answered." Stephen argued. "Emerson is still there, it's not like she changed all that much, but she's just missing some stuff."

"Do you think she'll remember?" Matt questioned.

"We all hope Emerson remembers and with her being back where she grew up it might make things easier." Stephen replied. "But I'm not going to hold my breath either and make it seem like she'll remember just cause she's here. I want to stay optimistic, but sometimes, you have to face reality. We can always rebuild memories, I'm just happy she's alive."

* * *

While Stephen was at Matt's, Emerson had asked Jeff to come over to help her out with some things. No housework, she just wanted to ask him what happened after her wisdom teeth removal. She remembered how frightened she was coming in, thinking about the pain of the procedure. Regular dental work like fixing a cavity was already horrible for her, but wisdom teeth removal, they had to put her to sleep.

Once Jeff arrived, he noticed that Stephen wasn't there. Then he remembered about Matt's talk with Stephen. He wanted to be there, but Matt advised against it, citing that the last thing anyone needs was for Jeff to go to jail. Ringing the doorbell, Melody answered the door, pointing down the stairs to where Emerson was. He mouthed a thank you before making his way down to the basement.

He found Emerson sitting down on the couch, watching television. Her eyes drifted to him and she smiled.

"Hey Jeff! I'm surprising you're up with the amount of alcohol you put in your body yesterday." Emerson teased.

She did that before, whenever he had a little too much to drink. She'd be so annoying, but in the end, she would give him some aspirin and just cuddle with him till he felt better. He truly missed those days.

"I've trained myself over the years." Jeff chuckled as he sat beside her.

"You guys were always great drinkers." Emerson turned the television off.

"So, what's up? What did you need help with?" Jeff looked around, not seeing anything that would need any attention from him.

"I wanted to asked about my wisdom teeth removal."

Jeff raised an eyebrow. "Of all the things to ask about, why that?"

"It's the last thing I remember," Emerson explained. "When I woke up in the hospital, I was surprised to be in a hospital because I could have sworn to God I came to a dental office. So I asked for you and my brother had to explain what happened."

"I see," Jeff nodded his head. He couldn't help but feel happy that she asked for him. "What about your wisdom teeth removal? It was successful."

"Figured that much," Emerson laughed. "I just wanted to ask what happened afterwards, did you wait for me?"

Jeff was assigned to bring Emerson to the dental office. Stephen was running late at work and Vanessa was out of town. Matt was going to bring her, but he overslept, so he had called Jeff to bring Emerson to the dentist. He didn't want to at first, but he ended up going since he owed Matt a favor. Truth be told, he didn't regret going, hanging out with Emerson was pretty fucking fun. Jeff didn't spend that much alone time with Emerson, but when he did, he usually had a great time. Even though she was much younger than him.

Stephen was going to pick her up, but once Jeff was there, he just decided to wait for her. He did promise her that he would.

* * *

 _Emerson sat in Jeff's car looking out the window. It was an hour drive to the dentist and she really was not looking forward to this. She hated the dentist. Then again, who likes going to the dentist? But Emerson just really hated it. She could live through the cleaning, but anything that involves a drill and cutting inside the mouth was just not her thing._

" _You alright?" Jeff asked._

" _Yeah, I just hate the dentist," Emerson looked over at Jeff and frowned. "Thanks for bringing me, Jeff. I honestly could have driven myself if I wasn't going to be incapacitated after the procedure."_

 _Jeff laughed. "You passed the test? I didn't know you were taking it, you should have told me."_

" _Since four months ago?" Emerson replied. "Thanks for teaching me how to drive, by the way, Stephen is overbearing and Matt panicked too much."_

 _Jeff laughed once more. "Not a problem, I understand the feeling. Matt tried to teach me how to drive and I had to refrain myself from throwing him out of the car."_

 _Emerson laughed. "Matt's not that bad, sorta." She leaned back. "You should be resting, you just got off the road."_

" _Emmy, it's fine," Jeff reassured her._

 _She smiled, hearing Jeff call her Emmy. He rarely did it, but when he did, it always made her smile. It's the way he said it that just brought calm to her._

" _How is life on the road? It must be amazing to be able to just see the world." Emerson commented._

" _It is, but it gets extremely tiring."_

" _I'm sure it does, the way you guys put your body on the line, I can't even imagine the pain you go through."_

" _It's painful, but I'm doing what I love so it's not so bad." Jeff shrugged._

" _Makes sense," Emerson nodded. "I was going to ask Alexander to bring me, but he flaked on me last minute."_

" _He seems to do that quite often." Jeff commented. It wasn't the first time he's heard the disappointment in Emerson's voice. He hated hearing it. She was a lovely girl who was hung up on a guy no one could count on. He's seen Alexander around, girls dropped to their feet for the kid. He didn't understand the attraction, but Emerson basically worshipped the ground he walked on._

" _No, it's okay, he did tell me that there was a chance he might not be able to take me. I'm used to it, he said he'll visit me after the procedure." Emerson replied._

 _It was the hope in her voice that killed Jeff. He was certain Alexander would come, but the belief she had in this guy, it was crazy. It's like her whole world revolved around him. Well, it did, teenagers had the tendency to do that when it comes to the person they had deep feelings for._

" _Emerson, you know you deserve better right? I'm sure Alexander is a great guy, but there are other fishes in the sea."_

" _I know, I'm not holding out hope that Alexander will love me," Emerson looked over at him. Jeff really liked her eyes, Emerson had these greenish-hazel eyes and they were just so captivating at times. "He's my best friend, he's always been there for me, he's always protected me, I can never thank him enough for that."_

" _Is this just a gratitude thing?"_

" _No, you see, for me at least, being a flake is horrible, but when I need him the most, Alexander is always there. For that I can forgive all the other times he's flaked on me."_

 _It was noble, but he was certain that Emerson would eventually reach a breaking point with Alex._

" _I mean that's on you." Jeff shrugged._

 _Emerson noticed that they were almost at the dentist. She could do this. She would be asleep, it shouldn't be that bad. "Will you be outside when I'm done?"_

 _Jeff looked over at her and smiled. "Of course, I promise."_

* * *

"Of course I did, why would I leave you?" Jeff questioned.

"I don't know, I guess I was hoping I would remember if you waited or not." Emerson gave him a small smile. "It sucks, not remembering anything, everyone moved on with their lives and here I am, just living a life I don't know nothing about."

Jeff frowned. "Don't say that, you'll get your memories back and even if you don't, you can always make new memories. The important thing is that you're safe."

"Yeah, wish my brother had the same sentiment as you did."

"Your brother? Why? Is Stephen giving you a hard time?" Jeff moved his body so that his right arm was leaning against the couch as he faced Emerson.

"He's just not supportive of my plans. Not exactly at least. We got into an argument yesterday when we got home from the barbeque and he was trying to convince me to go home again." Emerson sighed. "Make a long story short, Stephen is cutting me off."

Jeff bit his inner cheek, trying to refrain himself from bad mouthing her older brother. Stephen was always tough on Emerson. He had expectations for his younger sister, especially when their mother passed away. When their mother had passed, Stephen moved to New Orleans and insisted on taking his sister, but Matt offered his home to Emerson who didn't want to move. At that time, Vanessa was finishing school in Texas, so Emerson only had Stephen to go with. But Matt put his offer on the table, which was another reason Emerson and Jeff were able to become as close as they were; she stayed in North Carolina.

Stephen was a bit overbearing at times, but he never forced Emerson to do anything she didn't want to do. School was the only exception and Stephen made sure she finished. As siblings went, Stephen and Vanessa were great to Emerson, she was closer to her older sister, but that was expected. The three did well considering how hard they all took their mother's passing. It was the reason Stephen couldn't come back to North Carolina, too many memories of his mother.

"What do you mean cutting you off?" Jeff questioned.

"Initially, Stephen was going to pay the bills till I can find a steady job. But he said if I wanted to act like an adult, then I can learn how to be an adult and pay the bills." Emerson frowned. "I was being immature and a bitch, I just hated how he still wanted me to leave after I've moved. He can't be here for his reasons, but this is home for me."

"Why did he want you to leave?"

"I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact he won't be able to look after me," she shrugged. "His concern is appreciated, but he needs to get back to his life, I just feel bad because I feel that I'm holding him back when he should be with his family."

Jeff placed his hand on Emerson's hand that was on her lap. He gave it a soft squeeze. "Emerson, your brother loves you, everything he's doing he does it because he loves you. You're his family too."

"I know, but both of my siblings have literally put their lives on hold for three years, I think it's time for them to actually get back to their normal routine." Emerson sighed. "That's why I'm pushing to be here, so that they can just do their own thing. I don't need them breathing down my neck like I'm a five year old incapable of doing anything."

"You're not incapable, but they rather make sure you're comfortable, considering what happened."

"No offense, but I lost my memories not functionality of my body."

"But losing your memories is a disadvantage, you've basically been reverted back to your teenage years." Jeff felt the frustration coming. Emerson was a bit of a headache when she was eighteen. A little too opinionated at times and was stubborn.

"Wow, you're just like my brother," Emerson took her hand away from Jeff's touch and crossed her arms over her chest.

Jeff knew this all too well. It was what she used to do when she didn't get her way, when she acted like a fucking brat.

"I'm actually offended you would compare me to your brother, but I'll let it slide. I'm sure he won't cut you off when you don't have a job yet." Jeff didn't want to think badly of Stephen. He was an asshole, but he wasn't that much of an asshole.

"It's Stephen, he hardly jokes when it comes to these types of things. Besides that, I really pushed buttons yesterday and I don't blame him for cutting me off. I'm pissed, but I just have to try and find a job much quicker." Emerson frowned. "Or cut off some of my expenses like internet and cable."

"How are you going to be able to sleep at night?" Jeff knew Emerson kept her television on at night, it was her way of being able to sleep. It annoyed him, but he learned to live with it, hell he started doing the same thing.

"I'll figure it out, I have an iPod, I just need some background noise." Emerson smiled. "I still have a good amount in my savings, should be able to help me out while I figure things out. I guess I'll have to be an adult."

It wasn't like Emerson was spoiled, but when she was eighteen, everything was done for her by her siblings. The time she learned to fend for herself was when she started living at Matt's house and was alone most of the time. Sure, Matt and Jeff's dad checked on her, but otherwise, she was responsible for Matt's bills and all that good stuff. Now, she had to relearn everything.

Jeff felt like it wasn't fair for Stephen to just pull the plug on his younger sister. As protective as Stephen was, he wasn't beyond teaching Emerson a harsh lesson. He knew Stephen's game plan. If Emerson's not able to make it through, she'll call him and she won't have a choice, but to move back to Texas.

That wasn't happening, unless not under Jeff's watch. Like he told Melody, it was his turn to be selfish with Emerson.

"Have you started job hunting?"

"No, but I might ask Shannon if he knows anyone who is hiring." Emerson leaned back against the couch. "You know anyone hiring?"

"I'll inquire," Jeff followed her movement and looked up at the ceiling. It was surreal having Emerson back, but he was overjoyed. He missed her terribly and now she was back, nothing could ruin things for them, not even her memory loss.

First thing's first, he was going to talk to Stephen.


	4. Four

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm doing pretty good with the updates, so I hope you're liking the story so far. I'm really enjoying writing this story and I definitely missed the wrestling fandom. Did you guys see the PPV yesterday? It was insane, glad to see Alberto Del Rio back. Anyways, here's another update for you all. This is shorter than the previous chapters, sort of a filler chapter. Hope you guys like this one as well! Let me know what you think!

Thank you for all the love, really appreciate it!

* * *

 **Four**

Once Jeff was done at Emerson's house, he went home and found Stephen waiting for him there. He wasn't sure what Stephen was doing there, but it was a good thing he was, he had to talk to him after all.

Jeff slid out of his car, closed the door and locked it. Stephen stood up from his seat on the front porch and nodded his head at Jeff. He returned the gesture before stopping at the bottom of the steps.

"Can't say I'm surprise, are you here to say goodbye before you left?" Jeff questioned, not wanting to be confrontational from the get go.

"Nope, we have a few things to talk about."

"If you're here to tell me to stay away from Emerson, you can fuck off." Jeff walked up the three steps and unlocked his door, not wanting to deal with Stephen right now.

"I'm not going to try and control you, it was wrong of me to do so, I apologize."

Jeff was surprised and closed his door. He turned around and found Stephen at the same step he left him on. Walking over to the chair at his porch, he gestured for Stephen to sit on the other chair. Stephen followed suit as the two men looked at Jeff's front yard.

"I heard you cut your sister off," Jeff started.

Stephen groaned. "Of course she would tell you, she hasn't even been here for a month and it's like nothing even changed." He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to cut her off, it was just an empty threat. But I guess cutting her off wouldn't be that bad of an idea, she wouldn't be able to last six months if I cut her off."

"You're a piece of shit, you know that?" Jeff snarled. "Why can't you just let your sister live her life? If she wants to live it here, just let her. You never tried running it before, why are you trying to do so now?"

"I'm not trying to run her life, Emerson just needs to relearn everything and she won't be able to do that if she's here by herself."

"She learned everything by herself before, she'll be able to do it again, give your sister more credit than that." Jeff rolled his eyes. "What do you want? I should kick your ass for handling things the way you did."

"You're not going to understand my reasons and that's fine, but I did everything to protect Emerson. I never erased you from her life, she knows who the fuck you are," Stephen was tired of being painted as the bad guy. He did everything for his sister; he didn't need to justify that for the second time today. "It wouldn't help anything if I told her what you two had. It's a need to know basis. If anything she hasn't even remembered shit about your relationship. I don't blame her, maybe she's repressing it so she wouldn't have to remember all the shit you put her through."

Jeff didn't have a reply for that. He didn't need to be reminded that he took advantage of Emerson. He never blamed her, the blame was always on him. The drugs did a number on their relationship and his assumptions didn't help either. He highly doubted that it was the reason Emerson's memories weren't coming, but it could be a factor. That's why he was going to make it up to Emerson, he was going to help her in any way he can. This wasn't about restoring their relationship; it was about giving Emerson a happy life.

"What do you want?" Jeff questioned once more through gritted teeth.

"Just look out for Emerson," Stephen stood up, not wanting to stay any longer with Jeff. The tension between them could explode and the last thing he needed to do was to explain to Emerson why he was hurt.

"Change of heart?" Jeff mocked. "You didn't have to come here and tell me that. I'll look out for Emerson, I always did then, I will now. Don't worry about the money, I'll take care of Emerson."

"What? Are you insane? She's not going to accept your help, she can't live off you forever, Jeff. Wasn't this an issue in your relationship before?"

Jeff stood up as well, but he stayed in front of the chair, afraid that he would end up fighting Stephen if he stepped closer. "I bought her bakery, it's been doing well even though she's been gone. The customers are still coming. I'll give you the information of the account that's under her name, it has the profits of the bakery."

Stephen gave him a confused look. The bakery? Emerson's bakery? That's impossible. He and Vanessa sold it since they didn't think Emerson would need the bakery while she recovered. They wouldn't be able to pay for it, so they sold it. Vanessa was the one who handled the whole process, but she never met the buyer either. They were too busy taking care of Emerson then.

"You bought the bakery? Why would you do that?" Stephen questioned.

"Because that bakery was made through Emerson's hard work. It was her dream to own that bakery, so I saved it, so whenever she did return she would still have the bakery." Vanessa had reached out to Jeff telling him that she would be selling the bakery. He was surprised to hear from her, but before she could even insinuate that he should buy the bakery, he already offered. So now, Jeff owned Emerson's old bakery.

Stephen knew that Jeff wasn't that fond of the bakery. Sure, he was happy for Emerson, but the bakery put a strain in their relationship. At least, that's what he got from Emerson. For him to save the bakery, still thinking about his sister, it made him think twice about Jeff Hardy. Maybe he wasn't as selfish as he was before. People were capable of changing, he knew that, but Jeff did a number on his sister, he couldn't let go of that just yet. But he was definitely redeeming himself.

Without saying anything, Stephen nodded his head and stuck out his hand. Jeff was caught off guard by Stephen's action, but shook his hand. "Maybe I was wrong about you, Hardy. Let's hope you don't fuck up things with my sister again."

"Don't plan on it."

Stephen nodded his head and walked down Jeff's porch. He turned around and smirked. "I'm guessing you're going to hire her to work at the bakery?"

"It's her bakery after all, if she wants the job, she has it."

"I'm happy for you, Jeff, I'm glad you've gotten your life together." Stephen paused unsure if he should say the next few words, but he decided that it needed to be said. "Emerson would be proud of you."

For once in a long time, Jeff genuinely smiled at Stephen and nodded his head. "Thanks."

* * *

Emerson sat by her island counter, staring at her hot chocolate. It was great to be back in North Carolina. She definitely missed home, but she played by her sibling's rules, they wanted her to stay in Texas for a while, fine, she understood, she was still recovering. But she was better now. Not memory wise, but she was better, she could take care of herself. It was frustrating for her because they would talk about vacations they took after the age of eighteen and she didn't remember. She knew they were telling her the story to invoke any of her memories, but it never did. Once in a while she would remember things, but she was never with her siblings, she was with Jeff or Matt. Hell, there were some when Amy was around. She's been meaning to ask where Amy was, but she wasn't sure if she could ask Matt. He was married to a different woman, who Emerson thought was pretty cool. Matt's wife, Amaya, had a really nice smile.

At one point, she wanted to look them up online, but Stephen had advised against it. He reasoned it would confused her and for some odd reason she listened to him. She could do it now, search them up, to see why Jeff was no longer in WWE. But she distinctively remember Matt and Amy telling her that rumors were lies and if she ever had a question, they would tell her, as long as it wouldn't cost them their job. She did watch the Hardy Show and the old wrestling matches, it made her feel connected to them. At first she thought they all had a falling out, it just didn't make sense for them to not be around, considering Matt was Stephen's best friend. But she never dwelled on it, she was focused on other things.

Waking up with no memory was something else. She thought she had just finished getting her wisdom teeth done, but instead, she was eight years into the future. It was like a movie that she didn't want to be a part of. Not having any memories, some people she remembered were no longer around, like her mother. It was difficult. It still was difficult. And she couldn't run away. Where would she go? It was a dumb way to deal with her problems, but it always worked for her.

The only consistent thing in her life was Alex. Even though he had his tendencies to be missing in action, he was there when she truly needed him.

And there was Jeff.

He was never this attentive towards her. Sure, they hung out before a couple of times, but they were never close. What did happen during the eight years she doesn't remember? The way he spoke to her, it was like he knew her well, a little too well. She was always closer to Matt and it was never like that with him. And the way Jeff looked at her, she felt extremely… loved? It was weird. She couldn't have possibly been with Jeff. He was six years older than her and she was certain Jeff must have settled down already. She used to criticize Jeff for changing girls often and it just didn't make sense. Sure, Jeff was good looking, but she never saw herself dating him. Wrestlers were trouble, you don't know what they did on the road, it just wasn't an ideal relationship for her. She always tried to steer clear from an athlete, she just didn't need that in her life.

Coming home, she thought it would answer questions, but it brought on more questions.

Another question would be as to why Jeff and Stephen suddenly wanted to rip each other's throats. They were never the best of friends, but Stephen and Jeff got along well. She tried asking Stephen and he just brushed her off, reasoning they just had a disagreement. Maybe Jeff had slept with a girl Stephen liked or vice versa? She didn't know, but she'll eventually get to the bottom of everything.

She was no longer holding hope that she'll still remember. But maybe if she stopped trying to remember so much, it'll just gradually happened. Seeing a specialist should also help. Her first appointment for her new doctor was going to be next week, should be fun.

"You okay?"

Emerson jumped at hearing a voice. She turned around and found her brother walking in the kitchen, taking his jacket off.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "Mind if I join you?"

Emerson shrugged, turning around once again.

"You still mad?" Stephen asked as he sat down beside her.

"No," Emerson replied. "No reason to be mad."

"Emmy, you know I'm just trying to look out for you no matter how much of a dick you think I am, I'm still going to look out for you."

"Stephen, I'm not putting malice towards your actions. I just want you to give it a shot, if I don't get anything accomplished in six months, I'll go back to Texas, no bullshit." Emerson laid out. "But if it does work out then it's fantastic. I have to learn some time."

"Yeah, you're right." Stephen sighed. "I watch you grow up once and I had a hard time. Having to live through it again, it doesn't get any better."

Emerson laughed. "God, imagine when Maggie grows up? You're screwed." She was referring to Stephen's youngest child, Maggie. He had two boys, Drew and Drake, then their little princess, Maggie.

"Don't remind me," Stephen groaned. "It's going to be hell."

"You'll be fine, you did well with me," Emerson pointed out. "It's going to get hard, but just remember that no matter what, she loves you."

"You still love me? Even though I'm a dick?"

"Eh, on a good day," she teased, shrugging.

Stephen laughed. "Have you spoken to Alexander?"

"Yeah, he's coming in a week," she smiled. "Don't give me a look, Alexander is my best friend, I'll smile if I want to."

"Hey, no problem here, no judgment." Stephen held up his hands. "So nothing still? No ounce of memory hitting you?"

"Nothing too intense, just fragments of a house, I've never been to that house before though. At least, I don't recall being at that house. It's a nice house, I'm painting a room and I was arguing with someone about my paint choice." Emerson took a sip of her hot chocolate. "It wasn't you, but I was with a guy. Might have been Matt, but it didn't sound like him. It actually sounded like Jeff, but why would I be painting with Jeff?"

Stephen wanted to shake his sister at times. It wouldn't help her remember things, but it might rattle her brain. She was obviously helping paint their house together. It was crazy how she remembered certain things, but she never associated it with Jeff. Was it that farfetched to think that she could end up with Jeff?

"Yeah, you were helping him paint a room in his house." Stephen confirmed for her.

"Really? Jeff and I were close?" she questioned.

Stephen nodded. That wasn't a lie. They were extremely close. It was simple enough. "After mom died, you and Jeff got much closer. Not sure how it happened, might have something to do with you living with Matt after I moved to New Orleans, but either way, you and Jeff got really close."

"But he hasn't been around for the last two years," Emerson replied.

"That was on me, Emmy, don't blame Matt and Jeff, they didn't know you got into a car accident." Stephen sighed. "I made a mistake, I'll admit that to you because you're my sibling. Jeff and Matt took care of you since the summer before your freshman year in college. I truly stopped becoming a brother to you when I moved for my own selfish reasons." His eyes were beginning to mist and he hated crying, especially in front of his sisters. "I was just worried about you because you woke up, basically a blank slate, and I didn't know what to do. I even blamed myself because we had argued before you went out that night. But I'm just so happy you're alive." A few tears fell from his eyes, he wiped it quickly as he sniffed.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Emerson questioned.

"I didn't want to complicate things, I figured you would remember or eventually just regain your memories." Stephen replied. "After mom died, I moved to New Orleans and initially I was going to take you, but you were adamant about staying here. We gotten into an argument, you ran to Matt and he offered his home to you. At first you were reluctant and so was I, but I knew Matt would take care of you, so you stayed with him. You attended school at Chapel Hill as you know since you did get accepted there." He had gone over her background, but he never told her about staying with Matt. "You stayed at the dorms, coming home to Matt's during the weekends."

"So, you basically downplayed how important the Hardy's have been in my life since I was eighteen?"

Emerson wasn't angry. At this point, she was just glad that her brother decided to come clean. He most likely didn't want her to hear all of this from the boys and she would be clueless.

"In a way, we were going to do it in a need to know basis. If you remembered, we would be truthful and answer." Stephen wasn't going to give her a full disclosure. But he was at least going to cover some aspects of her life. "So yes, you and Jeff are extremely close; you even traveled with him during the summers. Not often cause at times you would take classes, but you and Jeff are definitely close."

Emerson nodded her head, unsure of what to say. It's not like it's impossible for her and Jeff to get close, but it was Jeff. He was Matt's younger brother who she saw in passing or when she hung out with Matt and Amy. Jeff was always nice, but she just never thought they would be all that close.

"Emmy, are you mad?"

"No," she shook her head. "You had your reasons, I understand that. Thank you for telling me. Are you trying to make up for something?"

Stephen laughed. "I guess I just need to prepare you the best I can, they'll be here for you, they always have been."

"Don't sell yourself short, you're an asshole, can be unreasonable, and a pain, but you're amazing brother, I wouldn't change you for the world." Emerson patted his back.

"If you need help, you're going to call me right?"

"Who else would I call?"


	5. Five

A/N: Hey everyone! Wanted to give you an early update since the previous one was pretty short! Things are starting to come along so I hope you guys like this next update. The next one should be out on Tuesday. I gotta study for an exam, so hopefully I'll have it out by the middle of next week! Thank you for the support! You guys are truly amazing!

Wanted to say thank you to a friend of mine because she keeps me going with this story. I'm really thankful to have her in the writing process of this story.

Hope you guys like the update and have an amazing rest of the week!

* * *

 **Five**

Two weeks passed since Stephen left. Vanessa came in, but she left a few days after she got in since Chace had to report to work. Melody left the day after Vanessa, so for the first time in years, Emerson was left alone in her home. It was creepy at first, her overactive imagination was getting the best of her. Technically, it was her first time living alone and she slightly regretted getting a house. An apartment would have been a better choice, smaller, easier to control and keep track of things. But she was learning. It also helped that Shannon, Shane, Matt, and Jeff were over as much as they can be. She's been spending most of her days with the boys, which wasn't a bad thing, it was suggested by the doctor.

Her doctor's appointment was last week. The doctor's name was Eliza Hummel. Extremely nice lady, very easy to talk to, but then again, she was a therapist, Emerson figured they should be approachable. Her doctor in Texas was Eliza's mentor. The first session went smoothly, the doctor taught her that she had to let everything gradually happened, something she had already heard from her previous doctor. A visual was much better than verbal representation for her. Which was true, whenever her siblings would try to recall a memory for her, they would describe the scene perfectly and she definitely applauded their imagery, but it never really hit anything for her.

Eliza also suggested for her to spend more time with the Carolina boys. She did talk about them often and Eliza felt that they would be able to help her regain her memories more, since she grew up with them.

Emerson walked down her stairs, making her way towards the door. It was nine in the morning on a Saturday. She wasn't sure she knew anyone who would even want to come over this early. The Carolina boys usually got up after noon on their day off, they wouldn't actually come this early. At least, from what she remembered, that's how it used to be.

Opening the door she found Alexander on the other side. She squealed happily and launched herself at him. Alexander laughed, wrapping his arms around her, kissing the side of her head.

"Sorry I'm so late, I had some business to attend to," Alexander pulled away. His eyes landed at the inside of her home and nodded his head. "HGTV has you hooked, I'm not even surprised that you have an open concept, Lauren would be proud." He teased her, walking further in as she closed the door.

"Haha, very nice of you to tease me." She flicked him off. "I like the open concept and you know how happy I was to be able to design this and it looks amazing. The island counter is in the middle of the kitchen that doubles as a place where you can eat as well, it's fantastic." She beamed. "And, the best part is, they have a part in the counter that's wood so I can do some of my baking on there. It's fantastic."

"Nice to see that you didn't lose your passion for baking." Alexander sat on the couch, in her front living room. "So what's been going on, you haven't been calling me lately. I was starting to worry."

"Sorry," Emerson smiled sheepishly. "I've been working."

"Working? Where the hell are you working? I thought Stephen said that he was supporting you? That you didn't have to work till you were absolutely ready?" Alexander didn't speak to Stephen often, but when it concerned Emerson, he spoke to him at least twice a week for the last two years, just to assure himself that his best friend was well taken care of. Not like he was criticizing Stephen, but he could take better care of Emerson than her own brother could.

Emerson rolled her eyes. "Calm down, I am ready. Ready as I can ever be, you guys can't keep me in a bubble, hoping that I'll eventually remember everything then start working. I know you guys wouldn't let me work till I remember everything, but I can do this, I need to grow up some time." Emerson pointed out. "We have to face facts that I might not regain my memory and I need to move on with my life."

Alexander nodded his head. Emerson sat beside him, crossing one of her legs under the other.

"Where are you working then?"

"I work at Jeff's bakery, I didn't even know Jeff had a bakery, isn't that odd?"

"Jeff? As in Jeff Hardy?" Alexander knew the name all too well. He couldn't even say he was surprised to hear it. When she lost her memory Alexander thought it would be a clean break from Jeff, that he wouldn't have to worry about dealing with Jeffrey Nero Hardy ever again, but he was still a thorn on his side. Emerson would remember things that her and Jeff used to do, thinking it was with him. Of course he would correct her, but he never told her who was with her, saying that he didn't know whom she was with at that time. It was fucked up; he couldn't even excuse himself. He never agreed with Stephen's idea of closing her friends off from North Carolina, but he couldn't make decisions for her.

And bakery? Alexander knew Jeff didn't own a bakery. He was certain the guy couldn't bake and if he was going to go in a business venture bakeries was the last thing Alexander thought he would be doing. Baking was Emerson's thing. Unless he was the one who bought Emerson's bakery.

"Yeah, it's crazy, Stephen told me that I was extremely close to him. The more I spend time with him, the more I can see why we became closer. He's a cool guy," Emerson smiled.

This was how it all started. Alexander felt like he was going through déjà vu. Emerson started seeing more of Jeff since she was living at Matt's and things just started to change. Alexander was never a fan of the change, but he was glad someone was taking care of Emerson. It wasn't surprising that Jeff was doing it once again.

"What's the name of the bakery?"

"Enigma, which is weird since they call Jeff the 'Charismatic Enigma'," Emerson laughed. "But yeah, I work as an apprentice to the baker. It's this woman named Mylene. She seems to know me well, she's the head baker at the place. It's amazing, I'm so happy. Amaya helps Jeff run the place, so it's like a family affair."

Alexander wasn't even surprised. He knew she would enjoy North Carolina. It's always been her home. If Stephen was going to let her go back by this year, he would have just grabbed her and brought her back. Contrary to popular belief, Alexander wanted her memory to come back. But if it didn't he'll help her build a new life. He's always been here for her and nothing was going to change that.

And he definitely wasn't surprise to hear that Jeff bought Emerson's bakery. Maybe he was just trying to make up for all the times he was an asshole to Emerson, he didn't know. But he was happy Emerson was getting her life together. She was a fighter, she knew how to fend for herself. Even though her siblings didn't think she should be alone, it was the best thing to happen to her.

"Amaya and Mylene, you knew them before, you're quite close to them," Alexander nodded his head. "I'm just glad you're getting organized."

"So am I," she beamed. "So, how long are you staying for?"

"I leave in two days, I need to get back to California, I just stopped by from my trip to New York."

"On Tuesday? That sucks, I won't be able to drop you off at the airport." She frowned. "I only work weekdays, I get the weekends off."

"Shouldn't you be working weekends? From what I can recall, Enigma was the busiest on the weekends." Alex replied. "No worries about the ride, I rented a car."

"Yeah, but I'm still starting off, so weekdays for now, they'll change my schedule as I improve." Emerson explained. "Ah, okay, good."

"So, why did Stephen cut you off?"

"I was just being a bitch, he wanted me to move back to Texas before he left and it was just pointless since I was settled here. We had a heart to heart; we're better now." Emerson assured him. "Stephen gave me a new account that I never saw till a week ago. Vanessa explained that it was profits from my old bakery that they stashed away. Since I was back to living in North Carolina while they're in other states, it was the right time to give me the money."

"Interesting," Alexander had to call Stephen, so many things were happening.

"How's Lauren?"

Lauren was Alexander's wife. Emerson was initially heartbroken to know that Alexander got married. It was when reality hit her that so much has changed since she was eighteen and she had to play catch up to everyone. She got along well with Lauren. Alexander's wife understood their relationship and had immense trust in both of them. She knew that Alexander wouldn't stray and Emerson wasn't that type of person.

"Good, pregnancy is really doing a number on both of us, but it's the best thing in the world." Alexander smiled.

"God, I can't believe you're married with a baby on the way. You're so grown up." Emerson teased, wiping her eyes.

Alexander laughed. "It's surreal, but it's the happiest I've been."

"I'm happy for you bestie, you deserve the world."

"Thanks Emmy."

"So, you want to grab some breakfast? I would cook, but we both know the best thing I can cook are scrambled eggs, though my pancakes are pretty fucking awesome." Emerson pouted. "Being an adult is so hard."

"Or we can go to the grocery store and I can make my famous mac and cheese for lunch?" Alexander offered.

"Oh my god, that sounds amazing. Mind if I shower?"

"You want me to join you?"

"Ew, perv, no," Emerson stood up. "Make yourself at home, I should be quick."

"Okay, take your time," Alexander waved Emerson off.

Alexander stood up and decided to tour the house while Emerson showered. It was a spacious house, maybe a little too big for Emerson since she was alone. But it wasn't such a bad thing. An apartment would be far too small. This house was perfect for her.

When he was making his way down the stairs, the doorbell rang. He made his way to the door and opened it, not surprised to see who was on the other side.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Jeffery Nero Hardy," Alexander greeted.

"Can't even say I'm surprised to see you here, what took you so long? Satan locked you up in a cage for being too much of a douche? Did you outdouche Satan again?" Jeff questioned, a smirk gracing his lips.

"Well, he needed a replacement for you, so just for a bit." Alexander returned his smirk. "So, why are you here?"

"I was going to ask Emerson if she wanted to go to my brother's for a barbeque. Where is she?" Jeff looked around behind Alexander.

"She's upstairs showering, you can come in if you want," Alexander moved aside.

Jeff walked in and sat down on the couch in the living room. Alexander followed and sat on the love chair that was facing the couch.

"So Hardy, heard you're clean now." Alexander opened the conversation.

"Not like it's any of your business, but yes I am," Jeff crossed his arms over his chest. It was really bugging him that Alexander was here at Emerson's, but he had to reason with himself that Alexander was no longer available. He knew that Alexander got married, Emerson attended the wedding and Jeff purposely chose to miss it. Though, he did rejoice knowing that Alexander wouldn't be that much of a pain. But it's like their relationship never changed. Alexander was married, yet he was still as close as ever to Emerson. It certainly didn't help that his wife was close to Emerson as well.

"That's good man, at least you got your life together after Emerson left. Maybe the best thing to happen for both of you." Alexander knew he was being a dick with that comment, but this was their relationship or lack thereof. "So, you bought her bakery?"

"Yes I did," Jeff nodded his head, choosing to ignore his statement regarding their breakup. "Why? Pissed off that you didn't think of that?"

"No, I wouldn't be able to manage that bakery, I'm glad you got it." Alexander surprised himself with his nice words towards Jeff, but he knew he was capable of being nice to Jeff.

Initially, Alexander never had a problem with Jeff. He was treating his best friend right, definitely making her happy. But when the emails from Emerson started coming about Jeff's drug use and how worried she was for him, things started changing. Jeff was a great guy when he was sober, but when he was high, it was different. He's witnessed it before, Jeff had confronted him when he was on a drug binge and they've gotten into altercations. Alexander had a history with drug addicts, his older brother was one and he died of an overdose. It drove his mom to the brink of insanity and for that, he was never able to forgive his older brother.

Seeing Jeff going down that same path, dragging Emerson with him, it upset him to no end. He didn't want to see Emerson down that same path, for her to become like his mother. That's why he tried to get her out of that relationship, but for once in their whole friendship, she didn't listen to him. Anything that had to do with Jeff Hardy, Emerson was not listening to him. It made him upset. Emerson always listened to him, no matter what. But Jeff came and she had another person to count on. He was jealous of Jeff because he brought the best out of Emerson. As bad as Jeff was for her, he was really good for her too.

Jeff nodded his head, not replying to Alexander's words.

"And I'm guessing that the mysterious new bank account she has is from you as well?"

"Yep,"

"What do you expect out of all of this Jeff?"

"Nothing, just helping her out."

"No ulterior motives?"

"I don't see why that would concern you."

"You know why it would concern me."

"I actually don't."

The two men stared at one another, waiting for one of them to flinch. They sat for five minutes in silence, just waiting. Emerson eventually came down the stairs and was surprised to see Jeff.

"Jeff! Hey!" She greeted.

"Hey!" He stood up and walked over to her, enveloping her into his arms.

She giggled and wrapped her arms around him. "Haven't seen you in a while, did you just get back from Florida?"

"Yeah, not too long ago, I was going to invite you to Matt's, he's having a barbecue. Homecoming of some sorts." Jeff looked at Alexander. "He can come too."

"Um," Emerson looked at Alexander who shrugged. "Sure, that sounds like a great plan."

"Of course it is," Alexander mumbled.

"I'll see you two there," Jeff kissed her cheek, her cheeks turning pink when he did. "Alexander."

"Jeffrey."

Jeff left, leaving the two looking at one another.

"We can still make your mac and cheese? We can bring it over there?" Emerson suggested.

"No, it's ten in the morning, we have some time to kill, let me get a nap in." Alexander stood up. "Besides, my mac and cheese is just for you and my wife, no one else is allowed to taste such deliciousness."

Emerson laughed. "Greedy."

"A little, but you two are my girls, I'll do anything for you."

* * *

Alexander parked next to Matt's car, turning the engine off. He looked over at Emerson who was holding her Tupperware full of cookies that she baked while he slept. It wasn't a secret that Emerson was a horrible cook, but when it came to baking, she was amazing. He was one of the first ones she ever baked for; the person she first baked for was Jeff. No bitterness, he just wasn't used to being second on the totem pole.

"Why do you look nervous?" Alex questioned.

"Is it bad that I'm hoping it's just the guys? As in Shane, Shannon, Matt and Jeff? Their friends are nice, but I'm still adjusting, you know me." Emerson gave him a small smile. She had a minor case of anxiety when it came to meeting new people. It always made her nervous, not knowing if she would make friends or whatever it was. Emerson was a nice girl, easy to approach, but she would overthink interactions and tried to keep to herself, fearing she wouldn't be able to make friends. Alexander had approached her first, she was playing by herself at the playground and it didn't sit well with him. He was ten, he was surprised he even knew what he did or didn't like, but he introduced himself and she just gave him this big smile and he's been with her since.

"No, you did fine the last time Shannon had a barbecue, you'll be fine." Alexander assured her. "Besides, I'm here, nothing will happen and I'm sure the boys will be there for you."

Emerson nodded her head before they slid out of the car and walked towards Matt's front door. Before they could ring the doorbell, Matt popped out at the side of the house.

"You've never used it before, why would you use it now?" Matt teased Emerson.

"I wasn't that bad," she defended, playfully glaring at him.

"No, of course not," Matt rolled his eyes. "Come on kiddies, food is ready, you guys took a while. It's five in the afternoon."

"Jeff didn't exactly tell us a time," Alexander replied as they made their way over to Matt.

"All day thing, so come on in," Matt handed Alexander the beer that he held in his left hand. "I got some Redds Apple ale for you, it's in the cooler by the grill." He told Emerson as he led them to the back.

"I brought cookies." Emerson informed him.

Matt turned around and grabbed the container from her. "No one else is allowed to have some, I've missed your cookies so I'm not sharing." Emerson laughed and shook her head as they started walking again.

The usual suspects were there and a few people that she met in Shannon's home. They all greeted them and they waved. She was going to introduce Alexander, but it seemed that everyone knew each other. They must have met when she lost her memory because she doesn't even remember meeting them when she was eighteen. She never really hung out with Shannon and the guys when they had their barbeques. An invitation as always extended, but mostly her older brother went to their parties. The times she was able to hang out with Matt, Jeff, Shannon and Shane was when they would just randomly come over to the house and lounge around. Those were fun times, playing Playstation or Nintendo 64, kicking their ass in those games. At times she thought they would let her win, but their complains made her think otherwise.

"You okay?" Jeff's voice broke her away from her memories.

She nodded her head. "Yeah, just remembered all the times I kicked your asses playing Mario Kart."

Jeff laughed. "Whatever, we let you win, at least I did." No he didn't, he genuinely tried, but Emerson was extremely good at the game. Besides, she had all the time in the world. Playing video games was hardly in their agenda when they were traveling.

"I mean, if you say so," Emerson shrugged. "If it helps your ego, then by all means, take the victory."

Emerson was a shit talker, she was competitive. It was nice to see coming from Emerson and Jeff definitely used her competitiveness to his advantaged. She hated losing. She wasn't a sore loser, she was reasonable as she got older, but she made sure she wont, no matter what it took.

"You asking for a beating?" Jeff questioned.

Emerson laughed. "Are you, Hardy?"

Jeff saw the glint of mischief in her eyes and it made him smile. God he missed her. "We'll see this up, I think Matt still has his Nintendo around." Jeff smirked. "But if you know how to play the Wii, then we can totally use that."

"Whatever the console is, I'll kick your ass." She confidently told him.

"We'll see, we'll see," he replied. "How's work been?"

"Amazing," she beamed. "I've always liked baking, but to actually do it as a job, it's really fun. I'm not as good as Amaya, but I'm learning. It's hard designing the cakes itself, but making the designs are incredibly fun."

He felt like he was talking to twenty-three year old Emerson and her experiments with baking. When he was on the road and she was finishing school, she baked often. He was her taste tester and he definitely didn't mind. There was something about her baked goods. And he wasn't biased, Enigma had loads of customer coming in, raving about her product. Sure the start was slow, but by word of mouth she was able to get more customers. The joy baking brought to her, it helped her ease the stress from school, from their relationship, it was such a good thing for her, but he never really realized till now.

"You've always been a great designer, unique." He commented.

"Thanks Jeff, I really can't thank you enough for giving me this opportunity." She took his hand in hers and softly squeezed his hand. "Thank you for trusting me enough to work at your bakery. I'll try not to let you down."

"Hey, don't do that, you got this. It's always been your passion, just wanted to give you a chance to do what you love." He kissed the back of her hand and she blushed. Jeff was never this friendly with her. She's seen it with other girls, maybe not Amy, but not with her. They must have been really close and it made her feel horrible that she didn't remember their friendship.

"I'm sorry," she said to him.

"What? Why?" Jeff gave her a confused look.

"I talked to Stephen, about us and it seems like you took really good care of me when he left North Carolina. You and Matt I mean," she looked down, fidgeting with her fingers before looking back up. "I'm sorry I forgot our friendship, I'm sorry that whatever we went through I don't remember, but you have to believe I'm trying and if not, we can always start again."

Jeff smiled and nodded his head. "Hey, stop thinking about us alright? What matters, is that you're okay, we'll work on it. Just relax."

She nodded her head and returned his smile. Taking her hands from his, she walked away and went over to Alexander who was talking to Shannon. Jeff watched as Alexander placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in and giving her a kiss on the side of the head. God, when he made progress with her he feels like he didn't make much progress when he sees her with Alexander. This how they've always been, he should be used to it and he shouldn't be threatened, Alexander was married. He was being an idiot. He shouldn't make assumptions again it was what led to trouble between him and Emerson in the first place.

* * *

Emerson sat in between Shannon and Jeff, watching Alexander and Matt battle it out in beer pong. She brought her red solo cup to her lips and took a sip of the beer and leaned on Jeff. He looked over at her and lifted his arm so she can cuddle up to his side. Emerson was friendly when she had some drinks. Nothing malicious, but she was just very cuddly when she had a bit to drink.

"Emmy, why didn't you bake me cookies? Matt is hogging it all," Shannon pouted, leaning on Emerson as well. Jeff pushed his head away causing Emerson to laugh.

"Since Jeff is being mean to you, just come over tomorrow, I'll bake you some cookies." Emerson flashed him a smile.

"Hey! What? I want some," Jeff looked down at her just as she looked up at him.

"I don't know, pushing Shannon, not nice Nero," Emerson stuck her tongue out at him.

Jeff laughed. "Whatever, I'll still crash the party tomorrow, I'll help you bake." He turned back to the game to watch Matt sink a ball in one of Alex's cups. It was two to six, Matt with the upper hand. "You should help your cousin Shannon."

Alexander was Shannon's younger cousin. They weren't the best of friends, but they got along enough. Shannon was much closer to Alexander's older brother who passed away. But after Alexander's older brother passed away, Shannon took it upon himself to look out for Alexander.

"Not even Shannon can help Alex, he's a lost case," Emerson teased.

Alexander shot her a look and flicked her off causing Emerson to laugh. She laid her head against Jeff's shoulder, watching the game. Jeff took out his phone and opened the camera application. He wasn't much for pictures, but he needed a new one with Emerson.

"Emmy, smile," Jeff position the phone in front of them.

Emerson looked over to the camera. "Cheese!" The smile that appeared on Emerson's face made Jeff chuckle. He snapped the picture and smiled. Her head still lied on his shoulder, her piercing greenish-hazel eyes lighting up as she smiled at him. This was going to be his wallpaper. They were friends; it's innocent.

"You look cute," Jeff told her as he proceeds to make it his wallpaper.

"Send it to me," Emerson took out her phone. "You don't look so bad, we look good."

"Yeah, yeah we do," Jeff knew she didn't mean what he meant, but still. They did look good together.

"You know, I was watching some of your old videos from WWE and you know who you look really good with? Candice Michelle."

Jeff froze. Wait, what? What parallel universe did he enter? He couldn't believe Emerson was mentioning Candice, of all the Divas he's been tried to be paired with, Candice was the one she mentioned? Why not Trish? She was pretty cool with Trish, did she not remember that? It would be the woman he cheated on her with, the woman that basically broke up their relationship.

"Why not Trish?"

"I mean, I like you with Trish, but if I were to ship you with someone, Candice would be nice. I guess I never saw you ending up with Trish cause I always liked her with Jericho," she shrugged. "Maybe Maria? She was pretty too. It's really crazy how much wrestling I've missed out on, you even became WWE Champion, insane."

Emerson was so ecstatic for him when he won his championships. Whatever it was, Emerson always cheered him on.

Candice.

This was fifty shades of fucked up.

* * *

 _Emerson slightly opened her eyes before closing it once again, letting out a groan. She could feel the sunlight hitting her eye. It was far too early. She wanted more sleep. Turning away from the window she buried herself deeper under the covers, she feels a slight shaking beside her. A pair of arms pulled her closer and she felt a kiss on the top of her head. It only meant one thing; Jeff was home. She wrapped her arms around him, taking in his scent. Smiling against his chest, all she wanted to do was stay like this the whole day. It was Wednesday, her day off from the bakery._

" _Babe, it's almost noon," Jeff informed her._

" _Too early," she mumbled into his chest._

 _He laughed. "Babe, come on, I'm starving, let's make some pancakes."_

" _No," she held on tighter. "Can you just eat later? I need some cuddle time."_

" _Babe, we can do that all day, let's eat first then we can lounge in bed the whole fucking day." Jeff pulled away from her, standing up._

" _When did you get here?" Emerson asked, remaining under the covers._

" _Around two?"_

" _Late night flights must be fun,"_

" _Not so bad, I just wanted to get home to you." Jeff pulled her to a kneeling position. He stood at the side of their bed pulling Emerson towards him. "I was surprised to see you sleeping, tiring day?"_

" _You don't even know," Emerson sighed, wrapping her arm around Jeff. "I missed you."_

 _Jeff smirked and leaned in to give Emerson a kiss. She pulled away and shook her head._

" _I haven't brushed my teeth, I have like awful morning breath." Emerson covered her mouth._

" _Emmy, come on, I haven't seen you for like two weeks, let me have a kiss." Jeff moved her hand and captured her lips with his. Emerson sighed, one of her hands grabbing Jeff's muscle shirt while the other was on his cheek. He pulled away, giving her pecks on her lips. "I missed you too baby."_

" _Better," she whispered against his lips. Pulling him for another kiss, she began tugging him towards the bed._

 _Jeff chuckled and pulled away. "Honestly, we can get down to business later. I'm hungry."_

 _Emerson laughed. "Alright, fine, but you're cooking."_

" _Anything for my girl."_

* * *

Emerson shot up, looking around her room. She could see the faint hint of blue under her blinds. It must have been six in the morning. Taking out her phone from under her pillow and found that it was six fifteen in the morning. That was definitely an odd dream. It felt too real. Why would she even dream about Jeff in that setting? Was it cause she cuddled up to him yesterday? Was it the picture? Was it because she felt this pull towards Jeff even though she's not sure where it's coming from? It was weird. She lied back down, closing her eyes once more.

Sleep, she just needed more sleep.


	6. Six

A/N: Hey! I'm back! As a celebration of my birthday tomorrow, I decided to update! Thank you for the support my lovelies. I really appreciate all the love I get from you all. Hope you guys like this new chapter, it isn't much, just a backstory of Alexander. The next update should be up soon! I'm making amazing progress with the writing, so excited to share this story with you all!

* * *

 **Six**

Emerson and Alex sat in front of the television, just relaxing after their busy night. Thankfully none of them were sporting a hangover. Alex had cooked them breakfast since Emerson was far too lazy to do anything but sit down.

"I need to ask you something," Emerson spoke up as they watched Flip or Flop.

"What's up?" Alexander turned his head towards her.

"I had a dream yesterday, well I think it was a memory, I think, care to help me?"

"Of course, what was it about?"

"I had a dream that I was dating Jeff, like we were full blown kissing and everything."

Alexander knew this day would eventually come. But he really had hoped he wouldn't be the one who had to explain it to Emerson. How could he talk about their relationship without sounding biased? How could he say that they had a great relationship and ended amicable? Okay, they did have an amazing relationship, that wasn't a lie, but they had their dark moments, moments that Alexander didn't want to be the one to tell her about. Why couldn't she ask Jeff? It would make much more sense for her to ask Jeff.

"So you want to know if you and Jeff dated?"

"Yes, did we? It would explain the sudden closeness and why he watches me like a hawk." She pretended not to notice, but Jeff did watch her often. It was endearing, it wasn't creepy. He didn't do it for a long period of time, but he always looked over at her to make sure she was okay. Friends could do that, that's why Emerson brushed it off, but it was the way he was with her, she couldn't explain it.

"He can't just be a friend who's looking out for you?" Alex wasn't sure why he was trying to brush this off. He didn't want to lie to Emerson. He's lied to her before, but this wasn't something he should lie about. But he really didn't want to be the one to talk to her about it. Fuck. This was Jeff's job or anyone else but him. He was going to be biased and he was going to ruin their relationship.

"So, the dream was just a dream?"

Alexander sighed. "Yes, it was, why? Do you like Jeff?"

"No, I mean, he's cute, but Jeff has always been Matt's brother." It didn't feel right brushing it off, but she wasn't certain what she felt for Jeff. She's happy she was closer to him, but it ended there. At least, that's what she thinks.

"Maybe it was cause you two were so cozy yesterday and you just had a dream about it."

"But this isn't the first time I've dreamt about Jeff. You know that."

Alex nodded. "Look, I shouldn't be the one you're asking. Why not ask Jeff?"

"So we did date?"

"Emmy, ask Jeff."

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because we both know what you're doing, you're trying to avoid the obvious, which is to go to Jeff and get your answers." Alex knew what Emerson was doing. It wasn't that she was not confrontational, at this point and time, she was much more comfortable with Alex. Therefore, she wanted to talk to Alex about it. In some way, Alex wanted Emerson to be comfortable with Jeff, it might help trigger some memories for her. It already has, pushing a bit more wouldn't be so bad.

"Alex," Emerson whined.

"Emmy, either you ask Jeff or you ain't getting any answers."

"I can ask one of the other guys."

"But would you ask one of the other guys?"

No, she wouldn't. She wanted to, she did, but she didn't feel that comfortable with them yet. And she felt as if she was afraid to know the answer, that it would change things if she found out. Brushing it off would be ideal, but she couldn't brush everything off forever. She had to face things. Teenage Emerson didn't like fights, she much rather walk away instead of dealing with things, but she figured that as an adult she grew out of that.

"Alex, you're my best friend, it's your duty to look out for me."

Alex laughed. "It is, but Emmy, this is your fight, this is something you need to learn on your own."

"You're a pain."

"I love you too."

* * *

Alex walked out of Emerson's house and unlocked his car. He was leaving tomorrow and figured he should talk to Shannon. Emerson was currently immersed in HGTV so he could leave her for a bit. They had dinner plans later and he wanted to talk to Shannon before they left.

The drive was short and he pulled up beside Shannon's car. Exiting his car, he locked the door and made his way to Shannon's front door. He should be here since it was three in the afternoon on a Sunday. His car was at the driveway, but Shane could have picked him up since Shannon could be a lazy ass when it came to driving. Knocking on Shannon's door, it was opened by his fiancé, Melanie.

"Mel, always nice to see you," Alex gave her a hug. "Where's your fiancé?"

"Alexander, surprised you're here," Melanie replied. "Well, not really, Emerson is back so of course you'd be here. Shannon's cleaning the pool out back."

"Thanks," he gave her a kiss on the cheek before making his way to the backyard.

Sliding the door open, he walked out and found Shannon with his dog Max.

"Shannon," Alex called out. "Didn't know you knew how to do chores."

"Fuck you, not everyone hires people to clean things for them," Shannon turned around waiting for Alex to reach him. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to talk to you before I leave," Alex sat on one of the chairs by the pool. "I wanted to say sorry for not telling you, it wasn't my secret to tell."

Shannon nodded his head. "I understand, I'm not going to chew you out over this, you did what you had to do." He sat across Alex, Max following him, lying by Shannon's feet. "Stephen is an asshole to deal with."

"Tell me about it," Alex rolled his eyes. "Jeff and Matt are protective, reasonable, though they have their moments of insanity, but Stephen is just ridiculous. Keeping her in Texas was such a fucking awful idea."

"When did you find out about the accident?" Shannon questioned.

"Vanessa called me, she was hysterical and I flew with Lauren to North Carolina." Alex answered. "Wanna know something really crazy?"

"What?"

"I wanted to call Jeff, to tell him what happened to Emerson, but I decided against it. She was finally getting a clean break from Jeff, none of us wanted her to go back to Jeff, so I kept my mouth shut." Alex confessed. He did want to call Jeff, but it was a new beginning for Emerson, she literally had a blank slate when it came to Jeff.

"What's up with everyone around Emerson being assholes? Do you people not think about her well being?" Shannon shook his head. "None of you know what's best for Emerson, I'm not saying its Jeff, but none of you ever thought of her in this situation. Just because ya'll were trying to save her doesn't mean it did her any good."

"I know, I realize that now, you know how I felt about Jeff."

"Jeff isn't your older brother," Shannon reminded him. "You know this isn't about the drugs, at least not entirely."

"Look, Emerson was in my life first, she always counted on me, I've been the person she counted on ever since she was ten, then Jeff comes in and in a matter of months I'm dethroned." It was petty. Alex could admit that. He was jealous of Jeff. Not because he had some undying love for Emerson, no, it wasn't that. Jeff replaced him with such ease. He was no longer her first call. He was no longer the person she leaned on when she was feeling sad. He was no longer the person that had Emerson's undivided attention. It was petty. Emerson was the only constant in his life before his wife came in and swept him off his feet. Sure, she still spoke to him, told him her troubles, especially the things she couldn't talk to Jeff about, but that was just it. She told him first because she couldn't possibly tell Jeff. And it hurt him.

"Alex, you know Emerson will always be your best friend, no matter what happens, she's always going to be there for you. But you can't sit here and tell me that Lauren hasn't become your best friend," Shannon understood his cousin. It was a big problem for Alex, he felt inadequate, like he no longer belonged in Emerson's life. "Jeff didn't replace you, he just became another best friend to her."

"Yeah, well, I was being unreasonable, I know that now." Alex sighed. "The first time she spoke to me about Jeff, I knew things were different. She always had a thing for Hardy, she always thought he was so cute, but I thought it was some puppy crush; she was in love with me. Then I left for California and everything changed."

"You were never in love with Emerson, so why are you so crushed that she liked Jeff?"

He loves Emerson, of course he does. But he didn't love her in the way he loves his wife or the way she loves Jeff. It just never added up for him. He never saw Emerson that way. She was a beautiful girl with an amazing personality, but it just never clicked. He wanted to walk away from her at some point, because he knew he was hurting her, going out with other girls as she remained the best friend. But he never led her on and Emerson always knew the deal. All she cared about was their friendship and so did he.

And he saw the moment that Emerson fell out of love with him. It was the day he met up with her while she was on the road with Jeff and Matt. He picked her up from the hotel she was staying at with the boys. This was about two years after he left, six months before Jeff and Emerson started dating.

* * *

 _Alex studied his best friend as she spoke about her adventures on the road and her university life. He missed Emerson. Hanging out all night watching movies. Talking on the landline till early morning about nothing in particular. Trying to drag her to go jogging in the morning. He missed doing these things with her, but it seemed like she found someone else to occupy her time._

" _I like traveling, but I definitely want to go home. Sleep has a bigger pull than traveling." Emerson took another bite of her pasta. "But I get to spend time with Matt, Jeff and Amy so it's super fun."_

" _I'm surprised they haven't tried to kick you out, you're a pain to wake up in the morning." Alex teased her._

" _For your information, I've learned to become a better morning person," she stuck her tongue out. "I get to sleep in the car, Jeff shares the backseat with me since Amy is at front with Matt. But if Jeff is driving, I'm up front with him."_

" _You know what's a common factor in all your stories?"_

" _Lack of sleep?"_

 _He shook his head. "Jeff Hardy."_

" _Well of course, I travel with him and he's my roomie. Matt and Amy like their alone time," Emerson gagged "Those two put jack rabbits to shame."_

" _Alright, didn't need to know that," Alex's face scrunched up. "So, how's this whole thing with Jeff going?"_

" _What whole thing?"_

" _Come on Emmy, don't play dumb."_

 _Emerson sighed. "He's so great, you know that?_

 _Alex laughed. Emerson's had crushes, she's had boyfriends, but the way she spoke about Jeff was different. She thought very highly of him, but there was something different with her tone, she always got this stupid smile on her face._

" _Have you told him you like him?"_

" _Ssh! Don't say it so loud," Emerson looked around, blushing. "There's no point in telling him, Jeff is six years older than me, I'm sure he doesn't want to date someone younger."_

 _Oh, but he did. He was certain that Jeff wanted to date Emerson. The way Jeff watched her, the way he would look at her like she was the only thing that existed in his world, Alex saw it and he wanted to smack Emerson for not seeing it. She was with the guy everyday for God's sakes._

" _Is that supposed to mean something? Age is nothing but a number, besides, nothing to lose for you." Alex told her. "Just tell him, if he rejects you, he does, if not, then good thing you took a risk."_

" _I don't want to lose him, if he rejects me, I can't face him again. He's my best friend," Emerson replied._

 _Alex's heart constricted. He's never heard her refer to anyone as her best friend besides him. Nowadays majority of their conversation involved Jeff and he fucking hated it. What was so special about Jeff Hardy? Nothing in his eyes. Sure he's an amazing wrestler, but so was Matt. He no longer lived in North Carolina and she's around Jeff much more often, but that didn't mean he couldn't be her best friend. It was a title he held dearly._

" _Ouch,"_

" _No, wait, you know you're my best friend as well, but he's become really close to me."_

 _Alex knew there was a possibility of having more than one best friend, but he was territorial, he liked the damn title all to himself._

" _Emmy, it's fine, I understand." She didn't need to know his insecurity. It would seem pathetic. Emerson and himself, Jeff and Emerson, they were different relationships. But he was just used to being the person Emerson counted on and now, he was like second in line._

" _I really do miss you," Emerson told him._

" _I miss you too," Alex smiled._

" _I'm afraid to let myself fall further," she quietly admitted._

" _Why? Jeff seems like a good guy, why wouldn't you want to fall deeper?"_

" _No offense, I just don't want to be back in the friend zone."_

 _It hit him then that Emerson was talking about their own relationship. He didn't purposely put her in the friend zone, but he wasn't going to lead her own. He made it clear as day that they were best friends, two people who were very important to one another, but was completely platonic. Emerson never really discussed her feelings about him and Alex never tried to get it out of her. But maybe he should, things were different for him and Emerson. He couldn't speak for Jeff, but he would like to think that Jeff and Emerson had a chance._

 _As much as it pained him, Emerson looked happy and that was the most important thing._

" _Emmy, you and I, we're different. Just because things didn't happen doesn't mean all the people you grow to like will not have feelings for you." Alex gave her a small smile. "You're an amazing person and beautiful, you never lacked anything, my lack of feelings was never cause you lacked in any department, we just didn't have a click."_

" _A click?"_

" _Yes, a click, it's not something I can describe, but you'll know when you feel it."_

" _I'm content where I am now, Jeff and I are great friends, I don't want to jeopardize that."_

 _Alex could see it now, it finally happened, a day he thought would never happened, as fucked up as it sounded. Emerson was over him and he was certain this wasn't something new. It's been something that started when he left for California and Jeff motherfucking Hardy walked in like he's been there this whole time. Alex was being selfish, he knew that, but fuck it, Emerson was his best friend, he can be selfish if he wanted to be. Though, he wasn't going to discourage her, Emerson has a chance to find someone for her and he knew he was flip flopping, but this was new to him._

" _Emmy, come on, don't be like this," Alex encouraged her. "If Jeff stops talking to you because you have feelings for him, then he was never worth it in the first place. But I'm certain that this will turn out well for you."_

" _How do you know?"_

" _You're Emerson, not everyone is an idiot like me."_

* * *

It was an adjustment. Emerson didn't confess till six months later and that was not on her own will, she blurted it out while she was drunk. He remembered the call from Emerson and he laughed a little too hard at his best friend, but he couldn't help it. Either way, two weeks after her confession, her and Jeff was officially a couple. Alex was ecstatic for them, but mostly for Emerson. The happiness lasted for some time, till Jeff's drug problems surfaced. All the emails and phone calls he received from Emerson because of Jeff made his blood boil. He couldn't understand how the ingrate could throw all his blessings away.

He thought Emerson would walk away, he advised her to walk away, but she didn't. She flat out refuse. She was an idiot. That was something Alex definitely didn't refrain from telling her, but she just wasn't listening.

But she finally did, when Jeff's ex-girlfriend, some wrestler, told Emerson about their relationship. Emerson was even friends with the damn girl and apparently the girl couldn't take the guilt and told Emerson. He knew it was serious when Emerson showed up in his doorstep and was fine at first, then when she was settled, she showed him and Lauren a folder. The word angry couldn't even describe how he felt towards Jeffrey Nero Hardy. Furious still wasn't enough. He was livid, absolutely livid.

Before this particular incident, even though Emerson has left Jeff's side before, she always came back. Not this time around, Emerson had a plan. Even though she had told her brother that she was going to stay in North Carolina, she wasn't. Emerson was going to move to Los Angeles. It was a big change for her, but she wanted it, no, she needed it. Lauren and Alex promised to help her, offering their spare room while she settled. But it never happened since she lost her memory.

"I guess I just knew that once she got with Jeff she wouldn't be as close to me. That the relationship I had with Emerson, even though it was already different, would further change." Alex sighed. "Emerson was my world before Lauren came. It was one of those times that I realized that she didn't need to be my girlfriend for her to take over my world. I just really cherished Emerson. I was jealous that Jeff took her from me without any effort."

"Well maybe it had something to do with you leaving all the fucking time," Shannon pointed out.

"Emerson knew why I had to, my mom needed me." Alex grimaced.

Shannon felt like a tool. It's not like he forgot Alex's mom's condition, they just didn't talk about it much. Losing her husband and her son in a short span of time did a number on Alex's mom and even though she still had Alex, she couldn't take it. She broke down and Alex had to focus on her. His mom was battling cancer and as hard as she tried to fight, it was difficult for her. She grieved and didn't notice her own health deteriorating. Luckily, she was able to see Alex get married before she ultimately passed away.

"Sorry man, I'm a tool."

"Don't worry about it, I know what I did to Emerson. I wasn't the best person for her after her mother died, that's why I will always be thankful for Jeff for being her anchor at that time."

"This question has been bugging me, wasn't Emerson supposed to leave North Carolina the night the accident occurred?" Shannon knew about Emerson's plan to leave. Hell, he helped her with it. Initially, Amaya was going to take over the bakery, to keep it running till Emerson eventually returned. But Stephen came in one day stating that he was closing down the bakery. Shannon tried to talk to him about it, but Stephen didn't give him the time of day. It pissed him off, but there was nothing he could do, he was on the road when Stephen closed down the shop.

He was with Jeff when Vanessa called him, to tell him about the bakery. And he definitely wasn't shocked when Jeff didn't hesitate to buy the bakery.

"She was, she was supposed to leave the day before the accident, but news broke out that Jeff got arrested." Alex pursed his lips. "Matt called her, telling her Jeff got arrested and he was freaking out. So, she made Vanessa turn around and they came back. Stephen thought she was coming to visit me, not to stay permanently."

"So when she didn't leave Stephen didn't see anything off with it?"

"No, but he knew why she didn't leave and it pissed him off. They got into an argument the night Jeff was released, especially after Jeff called her. It was raining and she drove to Jeff's house." Alex shook his head. "She shouldn't have stayed, if she left that night, if Jeff wasn't arrested, Emerson would still have her memory."

"You can't blame Jeff for this."

"I'm not, it's just so easy for me at times, sorry," Alex ran his hair through his blonde hair. "Does Jeff know about her planned move to Los Angeles?"

"No, I couldn't tell Jeff that, especially if he knew we were all working against him. Jeff was in a bad place when he couldn't find Emerson." Shannon remembered those next six months after Emerson disappeared. Jeff was prepared to see her in town, to run into her in parties because their friends were basically integrated, but to not see her at all, it killed Jeff. He would be clean for months then slip up, it was expected, but he tried the best he could. His last slip up, where he could barely wrestle against Sting, that's when it really changed. He completely got cleaned and he's been drug free since. "We never spoke about Emerson around him, he would get in a shitty ass mood when we even mentioned her. Yeah, he blamed himself, but there would be times where he blamed her for walking away. I want to talk to him, yell at him for being an asshole to her, but it wouldn't have done any good, the drugs was still there. If anything, the drugs were keeping him going when she left."

"When he finally got cleaned, why didn't you talk to him about Emerson?"

"Honestly? I didn't know what to say, Jeff was finally clean, I felt that if I mentioned Emerson it wouldn't do him any good." Shannon answered. "But he spoke about her, when he was clean and flushed all those pills down, first thing he told me was, 'I'm going to get her back, I'll look for her and show her that I've changed. That I'm worth loving now'."

"Let me guess, Stephen never answered any of your phone calls?"

"More like he changed his number, they all did."

"My favorite Leon," Alex scoffed.

"I have to hand it to you, you still came through for Emerson even though by then, you two weren't as close as before." Shannon commended him.

It was true.

Around the time Emerson came to Alex about Jeff's infidelity, they were no longer as close as they were. Before the whole cheating fiasco, Emerson and Alex weren't talking. No fights, they just didn't talk as often anymore, Emerson was no longer leaning on him. Alex always wanted to know why that was. She sure as hell wasn't leaning on Jeff, someone must have been helping her out. But that didn't matter then or now, when she arrived in his front door and she never visited him unannounced, he knew something was up. He had an idea who was helping her out, but he didn't want to assume.

"No matter how our friendship changes, she'll always be important to me. We could have not talked for seventy years, but if that girl came running to me, I would help her without hesitation."

"Why did you two stop talking?"

"We just got busy," he shrugged. "Emerson was focused on the bakery and Jeff, she really had no room for anything else. Though, I'm curious who she was leaning on, cause I know it wasn't Nero."

"I've been wondering the same thing, I always thought she was still talking to you, but you proved otherwise."

"Maybe Shane or Matt?"

"No, impossible, they would have voiced something out. Besides that, remember when you called us? We were concern cause she wasn't talking to us about it."

Alex shrugged. "Doesn't matter, whoever it was, saved her quite a few times. Maybe it was one of her siblings."

"Maybe," Shannon nodded.

"So, Emerson asked me if she dated Jeff." Alex couldn't brush off his conversation with Emerson. He figured he would tell Shannon just so someone else knew.

"What? Why?"

"Emerson has been dreaming about Jeff, she only has told me because you know, eighteen year old Emerson counted on me. I tried telling her to talk to Jeff, but it's like a child to eat vegetables. She just won't do it." Alex sighed. "Anyways, she dreamed about him again and it's getting much more detailed. I'm sure being around Jeff is causing this, which isn't bad, but I wished she would just ask him."

"Well, what did you tell her?"

"I said no at first, but I told her to ask Jeff."

"Why would you even say no? I thought lying to Emerson shouldn't be a thing anymore."

"It shouldn't, I just didn't want to be the one to talk to her about it. I'm biased, I would wreck Jeff's image." Alex reasoned.

"Hey, they had a good relationship, they had their ups and downs, but Jeff loves that girl more than anything in his life." Shannon defended.

"I never doubted that, at some point in his life, the allure of drugs were much stronger than his love for Emerson. And I know, not like Emerson was giving him ultimatums, she just wanted him to be okay."

"Is she going to talk to Jeff about it?"

"Doubt it, but if she talks to you about it, just be honest about her."

"Nice of you to pass of the responsibility to me."

Alex laughed. "You're my favorite cousin, you have to help me some time." The two men laughed. "I need some help, I'm taking Emerson out to dinner and I wanted to know where did Jeff take her for their first date."

Shannon gave Alex a look and he held up his hands. "Hey, I'm trying to stir her memories, the doctor's orders. Telling her a story isn't going to help her remember, visuals will." He explained. "Besides, fuck you, I'm happily married."

"Don't be a douche, I wasn't assuming anything. I just know you have a tendency of pissing Jeff off."

"No worries, this is being done with good intentions."

"He took her to a restaurant in Chicago, their first date was when they she was on the road with them."

Alex sighed. "Of course it was, any significant places for Jeff and Emerson?"

"I think you should leave that to Jeff, he might take offense that you're bringing Emerson to all their places."

"Shannon, this is about Emerson, Jeff's feelings are the least of my concerns."

"Which is the problem, you know Jeff already fucking hates you. Bringing Emerson to their special places wouldn't get you to his good graces."

"Not trying to get into his good graces."

"I know you're not, but just let Jeff have something. You've had Emerson for three years, it's Jeff's time."

Alex sighed and nodded his head. "Fine, I'll just cook her some of that macaroni and cheese she likes. You and Melanie are welcome to come over."

"We would, but we have a double date with Shane and his wife."

Alex stood up and nodded his head. "Thanks Shannon, for being the wise one."

"I'm always here for you, you know that right?"

"Yeah, you're a pest, but I really do appreciate you."

Shannon stood up as well. "I'll take care of Emmy."

"I'm pretty sure you don't have to, but thanks for looking out for her."

* * *

Jeff walked up to Matt who was washing his car. Matt nodded his head at his younger brother and placed the hose down before turning it off.

"What's up man?" Matt questioned as he began to wipe his car.

"I was wondering if you had some of our old home videos? Like Emerson's 19th birthday?"

Matt paused for a moment thinking about where he last placed the videotape. "I think it's in the basement, with the rest of the VHS tapes."

"Man, I feel old, VHS tapes." Jeff cringed.

Matt laughed. "You're telling me."

Jeff patted his brother's back before making his way inside. Amaya was at the bakery since he took the day off from the bakery. He ran the bakery at times, helping out with customers. He was rarely there; too many memories of Emerson. But when she came back, he's been there much more often.

He had this idea while he was lounging around at his home. Matt recorded a few of Emerson's birthdays. Maybe showing her some of the videos would trigger something.

Making his way down to Matt's basement, he looked around for the boxes that would contain the tapes. Instead, he stumbled upon a few boxes that had Emerson's name on it. That was weird, these boxes weren't here the last time he was down here. Walking over to the boxes, he opened them without even thinking. Looking inside the box, it looked like Emerson's things from the bakery, the one Matt took. Rummaging through the box, he found a notebook, no, a journal at the bottom. Picking it up, he examined it before closing the box.

He walked over to the couch and sat down, forgetting about the tapes he came there to get. Should he open this journal? This might have things he wouldn't want to read about.

Fuck it.

Jeff opened the journal and immediately recognized Emerson's handwriting. Flipping through the pages, he noticed that it was only half way done.

This was an invasion of privacy; he knew that. He shouldn't go through her journal, but maybe it would give him some insight.

But he couldn't read it here, Matt might try and take it away.

He stood up and looked for the VHS tapes again, it would hide the journal since it was of the same color. Once he found the tapes, he placed the journal in the middle of the tapes.

Jeff was about to learn that curiosity was hardly a friend.


	7. Seven

A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry I've been gone for a bit, things have been hectic with school so I haven't been able to update. But here I am now! Back with a new chapter. Thank you for the love, you guys are truly amazing.

Wanted to thank my good friend for helping me out with the story. Don't know how she deals with me, but I'm truly thankful for her for it.

Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Seven**

Jeff looked at the journal that was on his coffee table. Sitting in his living room, he's been contemplating whether or not he would open Emerson's journal. He never even knew she owned a journal. When Vanessa was packing her things and he watched her do it, he never saw this journal or any other journal. Why would Matt have it? Matt did clean out her office in the bakery so it could have been there. Doesn't matter, either way, it was in his hands and now he was contemplating whether he should open it or not. A little peak wouldn't be so horrible, he just wanted to see Emerson's mindset, to see what she was feeling. Sure, he could read her, but the curiosity was eating at him. The last few years of their relationship, she was much better at masking her emotions.

It's been two months since he retrieved the journal from Matt's basement. Emerson's been back for three months now. He hasn't been able to spend as much time with her, but from what Amaya was telling him, she was doing well at the bakery. Apparently, it didn't make sense for Amaya to have Emerson as her apprentice. Though they did agree on six months and Emerson insisted on staying on as an apprentice. She didn't want to take Amaya's job.

Jeff reached out to lift the journal, but his doorbell rang. He mumbled under his breath before standing up to get the door. Unlocking the door, he opened it and found Shane on the other side.

"What's up brother," Shane greeted giving Jeff a hug.

"Nothing much man, just resting up, I just flew in a couple of hours ago." Jeff gestured for him to come in, closing the door behind Shane.

"Good, how's it going?" Shane questioned.

"Not so bad, I'm glad to be wrestling again," Jeff sighed. "I liked my time off, but you know, it's definitely fun to be back."

"Understood," Shane walked over to Jeff's living room, sitting down on the couch. "How's Emmy? I just stopped by the bakery and it's like back to normal."

"Tell me about it, it seems normal yet it isn't." Jeff sat beside him. "I'm not complaining, I'm glad she's here, but it gets difficult at times. Not being able to do the things we used to do is fucking frustrating."

"Jeff, you're sounding like a total douche. Yeah, it's hard for you, but can you imagine how she's feeling? Years of her life forgotten and now she's starting anew." Shane pointed out. "I know you want her to remember what you guys had, but as it stands, if she did remember, she might not give you the time of fucking day."

Shane wasn't lying. Jeff never really explored the idea of Emerson coming back with memories intact. She most likely wouldn't give him the time of day. Sure, she'd be happy he was clean once again, but Emerson would still hate his fucking guts. He used to blame Candice for all of this, if she didn't tell Emerson, everything would still be okay, hell, they would be married with children by now. But Candice wasn't to blame. He was a dick for becoming angry with Candice for having a conscience. It was never a plan of his to tell Emerson, he couldn't because he knew that would be the final straw. Candice was a friend of hers that Jeff had a relationship with; there was no way he could bounce back from that.

But he still had hopes that she would forgive him, eventually.

"I never thought of that."

"Of course you didn't." Shane shook his head. He always gave Jeff his time, he never bombarded him with questions because he knew Jeff. When he wanted to talk, he'll talk. But at times, he had to push him a bit, just to let him know he was there.

"I know I royally fucked up, yet you guys never really seem to discuss the breakup with me. Can I ask why?" Jeff questioned. Sure, they made their quips now, but the guys never talked about the breakup till Emerson came back.

"We just didn't want to put more in your plate. Things were crazy and for us to add to that, you didn't need that. You needed our support more than our badgering." Shane explained. "Did you want to talk about the breakup?"

"Not exactly," Jeff picked up the journal and handed it to Shane. "It's Emerson's journal."

"Journal? Where did you find this?" Shane examined the black book, it wasn't locked. He could easily read the journal, but he was sure Jeff would hit him if he did.

"Matt's basement with Emerson's stuff from the bakery." Jeff replied.

Shane placed the journal back on the table. "Have you read it?"

"I was about to, then you came." Jeff smirked. "I'm actually conflicted if I should read it."

"Not ready to see her uncensored thoughts?" Shane was on the same boat as Shannon. He saw Emerson slowly deteriorate. They had to get her out somehow. He was in on all the plans Shannon and Alex had. Emerson was his friend too; he couldn't watch her go down by association. Sure, she closed herself off, but it wasn't hard to see someone breaking down.

"I can take it, I'm sure they're not worst than what I thought her uncensored thoughts were." Jeff looked at the journal again. "But I feel like I'm invading her privacy."

"You fucking are, you know you are." Shane chuckled. "But I don't think that would stop you, especially since you brought the damn journal to your house."

"Fuck, I shouldn't do this, I can still return it." Jeff was having second thoughts. This might just open a can of trouble he wasn't ready to deal with, especially since this Emerson wouldn't remember writing any of this.

"Put it this way, I'm not really supporting this invasion of privacy, but if you feel that it'll be able to help Emerson with her memory, then why not?" Shane shrugged. He shouldn't be the devil's advocate, but it was too tempting. "Besides, it wouldn't be bad for you to know what she went through when you fucked her over."

"Thanks Shane, your words are far too kind."

"Anytime man," Shane patted his back. "Have you seen Emerson? I'm surprised you're not with her since you just got back."

"No, I haven't," Jeff shook his head. He wanted to go see her, but she was at work. He didn't want to bother her there. Even though he technically owned the bakery, he still didn't want to bother her. "I'll take her out later or something, I'm just really curious about this damn journal."

"Just open it, you obviously want to," Shane egged on. "Though, fair warning, you might not like whatever you read in there." Emerson had secrets that she kept from Jeff. Shane knew Emerson kept certain things to herself, not wanting to bother Jeff with her problems. It was an issue for them at times. Emerson was 110 percent there for Jeff and as much as Jeff wanted to be there for her and he was unable to be there at times or Emerson didn't want to be a burden to Jeff since he was going through so much already.

"I don't know if I'm ready to find out."

"Look, we're all in agreement that whatever Emerson felt, might not be that accurate. Sure, she was hurt and that much was evident, but where her psyche was at that time, you can't really hold her accountable. She didn't know any better." Shane was just guessing how harsh her journal would be. The last months of their relationship really took a toll on Emerson and she wasn't in the right mindset. She basically convinced herself that Jeff didn't love her, at one point he did, but that wasn't the case anymore. "She loves you, that much is true, just keep that in mind."

"How much do you know?" Jeff questioned.

"Enough," Shane shrugged. "I'm just giving you a fair warning."

Now Jeff was having second thoughts. What if opening this journal would just bring more complications to an already complicated situation? He wasn't scared of getting hurt, he was strong enough for this. But his mind was still screaming that he was invading her privacy and curiosity did kill the cat.

Fuck it.

"Alright, I'll open it. But when you leave."

Shane groaned. "Come on, I can't be here for this?"

"No, this is between Emerson and I," Jeff chuckled. "Well Emerson's journal and I."

"How is Emerson doing?" Shane questioned.

"You haven't seen her?"

"I have, but I want to know if you have."

"You know I spend whatever time I can with Emerson. She's just really busy with the bakery so I don't bother her when I can help it."

"Sounds like the good old days."

"I resent that, Emerson loves that bakery, she put so much hard work into it."

"Yes, she loves the bakery, but I recall you never did."

"I had a problem with the bakery, but I always supported her."

"Come on Jeff, you had your dickhead moments, you supported her, but you never actually liked the bakery."

Jeff had his problems with the bakery from the beginning. It wasn't on Emerson though; he just had issues. Truthfully, he was being selfish. Plan and simple as that.

"She was too focused on it."

"It was her escape."

"From what?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Shane stood up. "Where's Ares?"

"He's at Emerson's."

"What?"

"Emerson dogsits for me when I'm gone."

"Really now?" Shane laughed. "You guys have joint custody?"

"Fuck you Shane."

Shane laughed once more. "Love you too Jeffrey. Alright, I'm going to go so you can read Emerson's personal thoughts. Just remember, don't take it to heart."

"Just go." Jeff threw a pillow at him.

Shane threw it back before walking out of the front door.

His eyes landed on the journal once again.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Emerson walked in her home, locking the door behind her. Ares was immediately by her side, greeting her. She gave him a quick pet before giving him a kiss on his head.

"How was your day? I hope you didn't ruin my pillows again." She walked in the living room and found it a little disheveled, but no ruined pillows. Walking over to the kitchen and to the sliding doors, she slid the door open to let Ares out. She kept the door opened, just so that he can come back in when he wants to.

Having Ares over was definitely a good thing for her. She loved having company and she hated to admit it, but she missed her siblings. She was used to having them around and she never really knew a life that she didn't live with them. And here she was now, putting her big girl pants on, living on her own. It was definitely a plus that Shannon, Shane, and Matt stopped by often along with their significant others. Jeff was always around too and she always felt much better seeing him.

The doorbell rang which caused Ares to run back inside and towards the front door. Emerson laughed and followed the dog.

"Is it your daddy?" She asked him as she unlocked the door and opened it.

It wasn't, it was Amaya.

"Amaya! Hey, what are you doing here?" Emerson gestured for her to come in.

Amaya petted Ares before the dog walked away, leaving the two.

"Just wanted to check on you since I wasn't at work today. How was it?" Amaya had been leaving Emerson alone much more often. She always knew that running the bakery would eventually go back to Emerson and she definitely didn't mind. When Jeff came to her, asking her to be the chef for the bakery, she was ecstatic, to be able to continue what Emerson left behind. And Jeff gave the reigns to her, he checked in as much as he could, but she ran the show. With Emerson back, she hoped that it would trigger some of her memories, she had so many happy ones associated to the bakery.

"Good! It was so busy, I had to redo a cake and all that good stuff. But it was so fun." Emerson gushed. "You want some coffee?"

"No, can't have caffeine," Amaya smiled.

"Are you allergic?" Emerson questioned. She wasn't sure why she offered Amaya coffee, she never saw her drink coffee.

Amaya rubbed her stomach.

Emerson's mouth dropped. "You naughty girl, you're pregnant!" She exclaimed excitedly. "How far along are you?"

"Three months," Amaya beamed.

It was upsetting when Amaya learned that Emerson didn't remember her. Emerson only remembered Amy as Matt's girlfriend. Emerson and Amaya met through Shane, who was Amaya's cousin. Amaya was a few years older than Emerson, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Business. Initially, Emerson hired her to help out with the managing aspect of the store. They made a pretty good team and became fast friends. Matt met Amaya through Emerson and the rest was history.

Amaya always thought that her and Emerson would have kids around the same age; that they would be raising the crazy Hardy kids together. And now, she was without her memories of Jeff being her boyfriend. It was like back to square one for almost everyone.

"I'm so happy for you! I'm surprised this is your first kid together." Emerson told her as they sat down by the island counter in the kitchen. "I bet Matt is thrilled."

"Definitely, he's out telling the boys now, though Jeff isn't answering his phone." Amaya knew that Jeff could be reclusive; it wasn't anything new. But he hasn't been this way since Emerson came back, so something must be up.

"Maybe Jeff is tired," Emerson offered. Now she was wondering what was going on with Jeff.

"Either way, I just wanted to check on you, to see how are things going." Amaya took the cookie jar that was beside the fruit bowl. "Cookies sound amazing right now."

"Just a heads up, it's Chips Ahoy, got lazy with the cookies." Emerson took a cookie for herself.

"Chips ahoy are my favorite, though Oreos are amazing as well."

"I love both, cookies are cookies." Emerson took a bite from her cookie. "How was traveling with the guys? I bet it gets hectic."

"A little, but not as hectic as when they were in the WWE. But it's still a bit tiring." Amaya and Emerson stuck together when they traveled with the guys. They spoke to the WWE Divas; they were nice. "You know if you ever feel that you need to talk, I'm here for you, right?"

Emerson smiled. "Of course, I just have nothing interesting to talk about."

"Can I ask? Do you remember anything? Or has anything popped up since you've been back?"

"A waterfall," Emerson started. "I'm walking and I hear a waterfall, I can smell it too. It's a pretty vivid memory. There's someone with me and he's telling me how it's a place where he goes to relax, to think. Even if they had acres and acres of land, sometimes the place you need is not at home."

Amaya paused for a moment, taking Emerson's words in, she didn't know of any spots that Emerson frequented that had waterfalls. Sure, there were waterfalls around, but she never heard of Emerson going there.

"Anything else?"

"Hmm, not really, we're mostly walking or driving to the place."

"Do you know who was with you?"

"No, I'm too busy looking at the surroundings." Emerson laughed.

"You don't recognize the voice?"

"I do, I think, his voice sounded hoarse, like he was sick."

Amaya was almost certain that it was Jeff. Who else would be with her?

"I'm sure it'll come to you," Amaya smiled.

"It gets frustrating, I feel like everyone is tiptoeing around me. You're literally the only person whose asked if I've remembered anything." Emerson told her. "I don't mind, I understand they're being cautious, but maybe if they brought me around places we used to frequent then I would remember some things."

She wasn't blaming any of them. But she knew that they expected her to remember, especially Jeff. He was the one who seemed the most affected by this whole ordeal. She wanted to ask him why, but she never found the courage to do so. Maybe asking the other guys or Amaya could do, but she wanted to hear it from Jeff. Though her talk with Alexander was still in her mind. She didn't have the courage to ask Jeff if they were together and it frustrated her. How hard was it to ask that? But maybe she was afraid of the answer.

"They're just worried, they don't want to push you." Amaya explained.

"Yeah, you're right, I guess it'll eventually come back." Emerson took another cookie. "I missed them, the guys. When I saw them again, I was so happy cause I finally got to be with the boys again. I grew up with them and for some time, they weren't in my life and it felt weird. Whenever I would ask Stephen, he would just brush it off."

"They missed you too, they didn't know where you were for a couple of years and threw all of them off." It definitely did, Jeff was the most affected along with Matt. They were used to having her around all the damn time, when she was gone, like she vanished from thin air, it was difficult for them.

"I missed Jeff the most, which is fucking weird cause the only memory I have of Jeff that would count us being friends was when he drove me to the dentist." Emerson pursed her lips. "I have this pull towards Jeff and it's so strong at times, it's scary. When he's not around, I worry, when he is around I feel much better knowing he's nearby."

Amaya had to smile at that. Memories may be lost, but the heart never forgets.

"You and Jeff did become extremely close. He definitely missed you."

"He always tells me that, I can see it too. The way he looks at me, it's different." Emerson took another cookie. "I should stop eating cookies, I'll ruin my appetite."

"Please, cookies will not, keep eating," Amaya grabbed another as well. "If you have questions, you can always ask Jeff."

"I want to, but I'm afraid of knowing the answers."

"Why?"

"Cause then I would have to face whatever mess I left here. Whenever I get the courage to talk to Jeff, I hold myself back and it's weird." Emerson explained. "I must have messed up, that's the reason my brother took me away, isn't it?"

It was typical of Emerson to think that way. She was the one who had to screw up, not the other way around. Emerson always thought the world of Jeff, even when he was drugged up, he was still the most important person in her life. Even when she found out he was cheating on her, he was still the most important person in her life. That's why when they all saw how she was slowly going down. Jeff dragging her with him, they had to step in.

"You ever thought that maybe you wanted to leave?"

"I would never want to leave North Carolina, it's my home. It's where all my memories with my mom is and the boys are here." Emerson had this feeling in the pit of her stomach, it was the same feeling she would get when she wanted to ask Jeff of their origins, how they got close, why they got so close. It was a conversation she eventually needed to have, but she wanted to talk to her therapist first. "I guess I'm missing a lot, aren't I?"

"You are, but it'll come." Amaya placed her hand on top of Emerson, squeezing it. "I'll tell Matt to take you to some places you might not remember, it would hit something. Maybe we can go to Chapel Hill, so you can see your old school grounds."

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Jeff placed the journal down, shaking his head. It wasn't so bad, the first few entries were not so bad. They were mostly about her feeling awful for using Jeff's money. It was never a big argument between them, but Emerson did have problems using Jeff's money. That she wasn't doing anything with her college degree. She graduated with an English degree. She didn't want to be a teacher or a journalist, but she did like writing short stories. The thing that really hooked her was baking. She used to bake all the time; their home never ran out of sweets. Which could be troublesome for Jeff, but he couldn't put the cupcakes down.

But the journal did give him an insight on her relationship with Alexander. It was changing; actually it changed. Alexander was no longer the go to guy and hasn't been in a while. They apparently argued about it since Emerson had failed to mention to Alexander that she graduated. The journal was started two months after she graduated from college, six months before the bakery. At this point, Alexander and Emerson spoke sporadically, going six months at a time not speaking to one another. It wasn't on purpose, Emerson was busy with school and Alexander was busy with whatever he had to do.

Jeff remembered that time, it was around the time he was coming back to the WWE. He had been back for two weeks and Emerson was traveling with him. They were at his hotel room and she was super cut up about Alexander not answering her phone calls.

* * *

" _Ugh, he's such a child," Emerson placed her cell phone beside her, crossing her arms over her chest._

 _Jeff laughed and walked over to her. "Babe, why won't you finish dressing up? We're going out to dinner with Shane."_

" _I don't feel like going," Emerson pouted._

" _Emmy, don't let Alexander's pettiness get to you. You gotta give him space." Jeff suggested. He understood Alexander's anger, Emerson didn't purposely forget to invite him, but they hadn't spoken in six months, it slipped her mind. Personally, he didn't give a shift if Alexander was there or not. "He was hurt, you two are supposed to be best friends and you didn't invite him to your graduation."_

" _It's not like I forgot on purpose," Emerson defended. "I was planning on inviting him, but Lauren was graduating as well, I didn't want to get in between them."_

" _You jealous of Lauren?" Jeff always had an issue with Alex and Emerson's closeness. Sure he understood the closeness to some extent, but they were a little too close at times. He thought that when Lauren came in, Emerson and Alex wouldn't be as close, but Emerson ended up getting along with Lauren as well, how not surprising._

" _Are you serious?" Emerson's face soured. She hated it when Jeff did this, it wasn't often, but she knew that Jeff and Alex were civil at best._

" _I'm just asking, maybe you didn't want to invite him because you know that he would choose Lauren's graduation and you didn't want to be disappointed." Jeff knew he was digging a hole for himself, but he just had to get it out. He was always honest with Emerson, sorta._

 _Emerson stood up and walked in the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She locked the door and Jeff knew he was fucked._

" _Baby, I'm sorry," he knocked on the door. "Emmy, come on, don't be upset."_

" _Fuck off, Jeff. Go out with Shane, give me some time right now." Emerson replied._

 _Jeff sighed. He shouldn't have crossed that line. He knew it, but he still did. Alexander was in a committed relationship, why was he so bothered by them still?_

" _Emerson, come on, please open the door."_

" _Jeff, honestly, I can't believe you would even ask that question." Emerson gritted out. "I don't even have those kind of feelings for Alexander anymore."_

" _I know baby, I'm sorry, okay? Just please come out," Jeff stood by the door, leaning against the frame._

 _It was silent. Jeff leaned his forehead against the doorframe, waiting for any answer. He hated fighting with her, but he couldn't help himself at times. Alexander was a sour spot for him, whenever she needed something her first go to was Alexander. Jeff was second. He could slightly live with that, but it would be nice for Emerson to see that Jeff was there for her too._

 _The door opened and Emerson walked out right into Jeff's arms. He wrapped his arms around her as she wrapped hers around him._

" _I love you, you know that, right?" Jeff told her, running his hand up and down her back._

" _Yeah, I do," Emerson pulled away from Jeff. "I just wish you didn't say things like that, I love you, no one else."_

 _Jeff smiled. "I know." He leaned down and captured Emerson's lips. She sighed, letting Jeff take control of their kiss. Jeff pulled away watching as Emerson slowly opened her eyes and smiled up at him._

" _You're a pain in the ass, Hardy."_

* * *

Emerson and Alex eventually made up and Jeff was thankful that they did. Alex was a good friend to Emerson, to some extent.

Jeff took a break from reading, folding the page so he knew where he left off. He stood up and walked over to his kitchen to get his phone. Picking up the phone, he noticed he had a couple of missed calls; three from Matt, two from Shannon, and one from Emerson. Did something happen?

He clicked on Emerson's name and placed the phone by his ear.

" _Hello,"_ she greeted.

"Hey, everything okay?"

" _Yeah, Matt's been trying to get a hold of you and we just wanted to make sure you're okay."_ Emerson explained. _"You are okay, right?"_

"I am, sorry, I was taking a nap." Well, he couldn't be truthful with her, could he now?

" _Oh Jeffrey, scaring everyone because you were napping."_ She laughed. _"Please call your brother."_

"I will, what are you up to?"

" _I'm currently cooking dinner with Ares, wanna come over?"_

Jeff smiled. "I'll be there in fifteen."

* * *

Emerson walked up to the front door and opened it. Jeff enveloped her in his arms before kissing the top of her head. He pulled away from her and greeted Ares next.

"Hey bud, did you miss me?" Ares stood up on his hind legs, placing his front paws on Jeff's chest. "Look at you, missed ya bud."

"And he missed you too, but he's a fantastic cuddle buddy." Emerson walked away from the two and made her way to the kitchen.

"So, not to insult you, but I thought you can't cook?" Jeff always had a fun time teasing Emerson. She was a fantastic baker, but cooking wasn't her thing. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, she can do that, she can basically cook breakfast and make a sandwich, anything else, not even close.

"Hey, I resent that, I'm learning." Emerson stuck her tongue out at him. "Okay, so I wasn't cooking, I ordered pizza."

"Fine by me," Jeff made his way to the kitchen, sitting by the island. Ares walked after Jeff, resting by his feet when he got to the kitchen. "Thanks for taking care of Ares."

"Of course, I love having him over," Emerson placed a slice of pizza in a plate and gave it to Jeff. "He's a fantastic companion and bed buddy. He doesn't snore, he doesn't hog the bed, doesn't hog the blanket, we get along just fine." She grabbed a slice for herself before sitting down next to Jeff. "So, have you gone to the bakery?"

"No, I trust you and Amaya, I'm sure everything is going well." Jeff took a bite out of his pizza. "Shannon told me you've been hiking with him lately, you never used to like hiking."

Emerson was not a very active person, Jeff used to have to drag her to go hiking. But eventually, she started going on her own, just to clear her mind. Jeff would usually tag along, just to make sure she came home safe, but he gave her distance that she needed. In some ways, its what made their relationship worked well. Whenever Emerson needed space, Jeff recognized that and gave it to her, but he would always make sure that when she was ready to talk, he was there. Their communication was always great, but it deteriorated the last two years of their relationship. Emerson was afraid to speak her mind, getting tired of the fight it might brought on. She tiptoed around Jeff at that time, sure she was happy to some extent, but Jeff knew how exhausted she was at that point in their relationship. But she never complained; she just stood beside him with whatever he needed.

"Yeah, the bakery can be stressing, so it's nice to walk and have some peace and quiet." Emerson replied. "Well, when Shannon isn't talking at least."

Jeff laughed. "We can always go hiking, I'm a pretty good hiking buddy, so is Ares."

"I would love that, whenever you have time for the little people, you let me know." Emerson teased.

"Very funny," Jeff took another slice once he finished his slice. "Have you talked to your siblings?"

"Everyday, I have to check in with them," Emerson made a face causing Jeff to laugh.

"They care,"

"A little too much, I'm not a kid anymore."

"No, but you'll always be their little sister, believe me, I've been there."

Emerson laughed. "Matt could be a bit overbearing, but I'm sure he's not as bad as Stephen."

"No one is as bad as Stephen," Jeff agreed. "But Vanessa isn't so bad."

"She isn't, but you know, she worries too."

"Just know that as much as they are a pain, they love you."

Emerson smiled. "I know, I'm really appreciative of them, it's just crazy how Stephen is married with kids. Vanessa is in a relationship and here I am, no love life."

Did she want one? Jeff wasn't sure how he felt about that. He never thought of Emerson dating. Why would she need to date? She shouldn't be dating, she should be focusing on herself. But then again, this was eighteen years old Emerson he was speaking too. She dated a couple of people before she dated him. They never really lasted since, well, if he was honest, he gave the guys a hard time and drove them away. It wasn't on purpose, at least that's the story he was going with to his grave.

"Are you looking for a relationship?"

"No, maybe? I don't know." Emerson sighed, placing her second slice of pizza on the plate. "I feel like I can't be stuck in this rut forever, I should be out there enjoying my life. Gotta face facts at some time that I might not get my memory and I'd have to move on with my life."

That stung Jeff. How could she say that? Was she even trying to regain her memory? Jeff had a temper, it wasn't anything new for his Emerson, but for this Emerson, it might be. He couldn't let his temper get the best of him here, it would lead to a fight with Emerson.

"Don't say that, you'll regain your memory, have faith." It was the best thing Jeff could say without touching too much that he was hurt by her words.

"I know and I have hope I will, I'm trying too," Emerson frowned. "It's just, I feel that something is holding me back? Like maybe there's a reason I'm not remembering. Maybe the last few years have been difficult and my brain literally wants to just start over."

That other comment stung, now this was a stab wound. He knew that she doesn't remember anything, but fuck, that shit hurt. How could she say that? Her brain didn't want to remember their relationship? Everything they worked for? Everything they experienced together? Again, his temper knocked and he was trying to ignore it the best he could.

"Or maybe you're just not trying hard enough."

"I think I'm trying the best I can. I go to therapy, I explore and nothing." Emerson turned towards him. "Did I hurt someone? Is that the reason my brother took me away from North Carolina?"

Jeff gave her an incredulous look. "Don't be ridiculous Emerson, you didn't hurt anyone."

"Amaya said that I might have wanted to leave, but I never thought of leaving North Carolina permanently. Sure, I want to travel, but I always saw myself staying here." Emerson locked eyes with Jeff. "I want to remember every memory I shared with you, the boys, Amaya, Melanie, everyone, but I just don't want ya'll to get your hopes up and end up with this new me."

"There is no new you, you're still the same." Jeff had stopped eating at this point, his appetite basically disappeared into thin air. He had to read the journal now, if something inside of Emerson was preventing her from remembering, he had to see what it was.

"Am I? People change as time passes Jeff, you can't sit here and tell me I didn't change."

"You did, but don't get carried away, you didn't change drastically." At least not on her own. Jeff made her be reclusive, anti-social at times. Emerson wanted to focus on the bakery, to keep her sanity. There was a time that Emerson didn't attend the parties that were being thrown by their group. She and Jeff would fight with Jeff usually the one angrily walking away, she stayed home.

It stayed silent for some time. Jeff wasn't sure what to say, waiting for Emerson to continue to open up. She's had a wall with him. Though she recognized their closeness, she was still closed off since she wasn't used to the relationship.

Emerson stood up and grabbed two cans of beer from the refrigerator and placed one in front of Jeff. Sitting down once again, she opened the can and took a drink. Placing the can down, she took another bite of her pizza.

"One of the perks of being older, I get to buy alcohol on my own."

Jeff laughed at that. This was the Emerson he knew, the one who tried to ease up the tension. They both could feel the tension building between them. Things left unsaid that continue to be unsaid. It's not like they didn't want to talk about it, they just didn't know how to bring it up. They were always honest to one another, but with the unfamiliarity of the situation, they didn't know how to approach the other.

"Can I ask, I'm think you would know since we're close," Emerson bit her lip before letting out a deep breath. "Am I still a virgin?"

Jeff spat out the beer he was drinking and placed the can down. Emerson immediately got paper towels and handed it to Jeff.

"Sorry, was that too personal? Did we not discuss things like this? I'm so sorry!" Emerson quickly said, grabbing paper towels to wipe the counter.

How was Jeff supposed to tell her that he was her first? Sure Emerson had experience, but she never had sex till she was in a relationship with Jeff. He had to play it safe, he couldn't blurt out to her they were together, she might not be ready for that yet. Well, he was ready for that conversation, especially since she's considering dating, but he had to go in her own pace.

"Have you asked anyone else this?" Jeff questioned when he was finished wiping himself.

"I asked Vanessa, but I didn't really get an answer from her." Emerson laughed at her brother's facial expression when she had asked that question. "I was hoping you would know. I asked Alexander and he said I should ask you."

Of course that asshole would pass it to him.

"You're not a virgin." That was the truth.

"I'm not?" Emerson's eyes widened. "Oh my God, who did I lose it to? Please tell me they were my boyfriend, I mean, no problem with one night stands, but I was hoping I would at least be with the guy I lose it too."

"You never really told me his name, but you said you lost it." That was the best he could give her.

"Oh man, this is crazy," Emerson chuckled.

"Out of curiosity, has anyone asked you out?" Jeff had to know. Raleigh was a big town unlike Cameron. In Cameron, all the guys knew their place; Emerson was Jeff's girl, period. Where the bakery was located, things were different.

"No, I usually stay in the back, are you worried?" Emerson patted his back. "I'll be fine, I'm a big girl."

"Of course I worry about you, I have to make sure you're safe." Jeff was good at lying, he had to be.

"Well don't worry, no dates, just work." Emerson took a sip again. "I don't have time for a relationship, I need to find stability before I focus on that."

Jeff thanked the heavens. There was no way Emerson was going to date under his watch. Call him possessive, but this was the love of his life. He lost her once and he sure as hell won't lose her again.


End file.
